For incarcerated fathers, prison rather than work mediates access to their families. Prison rules and staff regulate phone privileges, access to writing materials, and visits. Perhaps even more important are the ways in which the penal system shapes men’s gender performances. Incarcerated men must negotiate how they will enact violence and aggression, both in terms of the expectations placed upon inmates by the prison system and in terms of their own responses to these expectations. Additionally, the relationships between incarcerated men and the mothers of their children change,…
Debates about the future of fatherhood have been central to a range of conversations about changing family forms, parenting and society. Law has served an important, yet often neglected, role in these discussions, serving as an important focal point for broader political frustrations, playing a central role in mediating disputes and operating as a significant, symbolic, state-sanctioned account of the scope of paternal rights and responsibilities. Fragmenting Fatherhood provides the first sustained engagement with the way that fatherhood has been understood, constructed and regulated within…
Statistics from the 1997 and 2004 Bureau of Justice Statistics surveys on incarcerated parents and their children are shared. Findings indicate an estimated 809,800 parents of minor children were incarcerated in 2007, an estimated 1.7 million children had an incarcerated parent in 2007, and only 48% of parents in State prison had been living with their children. The impact of parental incarceration on children is discussed, as well as notable characteristics of parents in federal prison. 2 figures, 4 tables, and 17 references.
Designed to assist advocates for nonresident fathers in child welfare cases, this checklist provides tips for representing incarcerated nonresident fathers in child welfare cases. Strategies for advocates are explained and include: know the Adoption and Safe Families Act's timeframes and how they may impact a client; learn laws regarding the father's rights to participate in hearings and visitation, and incarcerations as a basis to terminate parental rights; guide the father through the process by regular in-person and written communication; work with the child welfare agency to involve the…
This chapter discusses the need for interventions that bring fathers and paternal family members to the table in child protection efforts, and shares a case study from Vermont that illustrates how restorative justice can be used in family group meetings to challenge totalizing characterizations of fathers and men and help social workers partner with families and collaboration with their professional colleagues to create balanced assessment’s and manage risks. 64 references.
This volume reports on a study that explored the meaning and significance of the paternal role to jailed fathers and how the experience of going to jail affects that role. Characteristics of pre-incarceration relationships of jailed fathers in their families were also studied, as well as the nature and significance of contact with family during incarceration, the impact of pre-incarceration relationships of jailed fathers on the stress of incarceration, and the plans and expectations of jailed fathers regarding their paternal role following release. The study was conducted in two phases and…
Community Integration Workbook speaks directly to those readers who are looking to change their lives for the better, and who find themselves in groups of likeminded souls, groups facilitated by professional or paraprofessional counselors. It is also an effective tool for guiding the individual counseling of similar clients.
The purpose of this book is to provide a counseling guide, emphasizing the transition from institutions like prison, jail, halfway houses, homeless shelters, inpatient alcohol and substance abuse treatment facilities, mental hospitals, and various therapeutic…
Training Materials, Book
It is your job to help the offender prepare themselves for life on the outside. You may think this means helping them find a job or avoiding substance abuse issues. It certainly does, but another important area that needs to be addressed is the offender's family life. More specifically, they must take responsibility for their children. This manual, along with the workbook, will help you to prepare fathers for the tremendous responsibility that accompanies parenthood. This manual includes several reproducible worksheets and a participant certificate that can be given to all participants upon…
Preliminary data from the Fragile Families survey were analyzed to examine the impact of incarceration on marriage and family structure. The study specifically considered the characteristics of married and unmarried fathers at risk of imprisonment. Men who have been incarcerated are less likely to be married than men who have never been in prison. Former inmates were also less likely to have a relationship with the mother of their child at the child's first birthday. Regression analysis with incarceration as a dummy variable supported the finding that a history of incarceration negatively…
The incarceration of a father can have a significant impact on the emotional development of his children, with many children experiencing dissociation, anxiety, loss, and anger. Factors that influence the child's response include the circumstances of the father's arrest, how the child hears about the arrest, and the mother's level of distress. This book describes the effects of imprisonment on fathers, their children, and the mothers of their children and explains how social workers can support family relationships in this difficult situation. The role of family relationships in the…
