Federal law sets timelines for states' decisions about placing foster care children in permanent homes, and, in some cases, for filing to terminate parental rights. Some policymakers have questioned the reasonableness of these timelines for children of incarcerated parents and expressed interest in how states work with these families. GAO was asked to examine: (1) the number of foster care children with incarcerated parents, (2) strategies used by child welfare and corrections agencies in selected states that may support contact or reunification, and (3) how the Department of Health and Human…
This report describes the activities and outcomes of the Federal Interagency Reentry Council, a council designed to reduce recidivism among former prisoners and improve outcomes related to employment, education, housing, health, and child welfare. Comprised of more than 20 federal agencies, the Reentry Council coordinates and leverages existing federal resources, dispels myths and clarifies policies, elevates programs and policies that work, and reduces the policy barriers to successful reentry. The following accomplishments of the Reentry Council in its first five years are described:…
The Behavioral Interventions to Advance Self-Sufficiency (BIAS) project is the first major opportunity to use a behavioral economics lens to examine programs that serve poor and vulnerable families in the United States. The project applies behavioral insights to issues related to the operations, implementation, and efficacy of social service programs and policies. The goal is to learn how tools from behavioral science can be used to deliver programs more effectively and, ultimately, improve the well-being of low-income children, adults, and families. This report presents findings from a…
This evaluation report is the second objective, third-party evaluation of the InsideOut Dad Program, which was conducted using findings gathered from 219 program participants. The InsideOut Dad program classes were held in six Maryland correctional institutions and in eight Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction Institutions. (Author abstract modified)
This evaluation report is the first objective, third-party evaluation of the InsideOut Dad Program, which was conducted using findings gathered from a total of nine InsideOut Dad program classes that were held in seven Maryland correctional facilities. (Author abstract modified)
This report begins by urging support for the reauthorization of the federal Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA), legislation that will encourage communities to engage juvenile offenders in programs proven to help steer them away from a life of crime. The report then reviews the current situation resulting from placing juvenile offenders in residential facilities with other troubled youth, including a cost of more than $5 billion to keep juvenile offenders in facilities. The benefits of providing community services and family coaching to juvenile offenders is discussed, and…
This report presents findings from an in-depth qualitative exploration of adults’ perceptions of the threats facing children. Surveys were conducted with geographically, ethnically, and age-diverse group of parents, step-parents, grandparents, step-grandparents, grown siblings, aunts, uncles and other adults (n=100) on a wide range of topics including: top perceived threats to the welfare, wellness and well-being of today’s children, barriers currently in their path can interfere with the future of young people, physical and emotional issues, including health, obesity, bullying, and teen…
This study seeks to determine the role that parental incarceration plays on the probability of food insecurity among families with children and very low food security of children using micro-level data from the Fragile Families and Child Well Being Study (FFCWS). The data set contains the 18-question food security module which allows us to explore the link between incarceration and food insecurity and very low food security among children, families, and adults. The incidence of very low food security in our data is somewhat higher than the national average, but the incidence of other levels…
Research finds that children who have experienced the incarceration of a parent exhibit higher levels of antisocial behavior. Yet there are reasons to question whether this association is in fact causal, and research that empirically pins down mechanisms that explain any observed association is in high demand. We attempt to better account for unobserved heterogeneity by using children with fathers who will be incarcerated as a strategic comparison group. In addition, we look at two different outcomes in an effort to make inferences about why paternal incarceration may influence delinquency.…
National estimates find approximately 13% of young adults ages 18-24 report that their biological father has served time in jail or prison (Foster and Hagan, 2009). Yet a recent review of existing literature by Murray and Farrington (2008) found no existing studies examining a possible link between paternal incarceration and substance abuse. Using panel data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health, we examine trajectories of marijuana and hard drug use from adolescence into young adulthood. Results indicate that having a father ever incarcerated (FEI) is significantly…
