’The effects of a family member getting incarcerated’’
Throughout the research conducted on a range of articles and scholarly studies , it was deduced that the affect of a family member being incarcerated on the family members close to them is a negative one, with many repercussions. On the basis of a critical analysis of these articles , this report will look at the affect of a family member being incarcerated on an individuals ,personal wellbeing in all aspects, in relation to Maslow’s hierarchy.
In recent years, a broad range of studies and research has been conducted analyzing the negative affects of a individual who’s family member has been incarcerated, A majority of factors being considered ,when analyzing the negative implications. Such as , whether they were residing with the family member at the time , and the family dynamics of such individuals and the offender. A family member being incarcerated , whether for a long or short period of time harbors a negative affect on the individuals family whether this be the individuals ,mother, father ,sister or brother.
It affects all aspects of their lives especially in the case of those who have lost a parental figure to the judicial system. This often impacting all aspects of their wellbeing in relation to Maslow’s hierarchy ,an ideal emphasizing that all factors of wellbeing are dependent on each other. It is detrimental to their physiological sense of wellbeing , their safety, love and belonging ,and esteem hence makes it impossible for them to reach a state of self actualization.
This report aims to consider the negative affect of a family member being incarcerated on those left behind , especially those who are dealing with a parental figure being imprisoned in particular.
A parent is a key figure in an individuals life , vital to all aspects of an individuals wellbeing. Various studies show that children who had positively involved father figures were less likely ‘’to smoke, get into trouble with the police , achieved better levels of education and developed good friendships, with children of both sexes.’’(Acta Paediatrica journal 9-11-08).
This study hence accentuating the importance of an active parental figure in a child or individuals life. A parent is the main source of emotional and financial stability in a child’s early stage of development until the age of adulthood, at the bare minimum. The National Prison Census (1991) indicated that ‘’almost half of those who had been in prison were unemployed due to their incarceration; and the financial circumstances of their families often worsen during the custodial period, a major concern given that stress and poverty are strongly linked with increased risk of child abuse and neglect ‘’(Smokowski and Wodarski, 1996). This study showing the negative affect an incarcerated parent can have for a child even once they are released, as well as the evident fact that, the trials and tribulations don’t strictly end for the detained’s family members , once they are released.
It is also analyzed that the impending risk of the family member not being a suitable option as a guardian for their children is a large possibility , the implications behind this being that the child will either continue to live in an impinged state where there needs are not met on a variety of spectrums or they will be pawned of to another ‘guardian ‘deemed more suitable , which in itself comes with its own repercussions.
This further being accentuated by the ideology of Maslow’s hierarchy which as seen below; emphasizes the idea that without the sense of safety that is achieved by security of body (in the form of a active parental figure ) employment (providing financial security ), morality ,(being based often on ones family ethics) and property (or rather a stable home) one cannot reach an efficient level of safety ,love and belonging ,esteem and hence cannot be self actualized.
Most female inmates are the head of their single parent household and have children dependent on them , thus making the impact of removal from home and family more traumatic. For children and families of the inmate, a sentence often means relocation of home and school. Children are often forced to relocate to a completely different destination, adapt to a new environment and a new home, additionally to the added stress of losing their parents. There sense of confidence is shattered , and any sense of stability they had is gone. Their emotional stability is drastically hampered as they often face inertia and issues of love and belonging. Whilst some children are fortunate enough to be placed amongst the inmate’s family, hence meaning less sense of loss, some children are placed in non-relative foster homes and institutions. This meaning they will have to adapt to a drastically unfamiliar environment and also forge civil and often personal relationships with those that care for them. This often being an issue, as children who have lost a parent or parents in some way or form, often have trust issues , or trouble forming meaningful relationships. They also have to deal with dislocated relationship’s as in some cases, siblings may be separated by out-of-family placements, this essentially meaning they not only lose a parent but close contact with other families too. Immediate and long-lasting psychological effects include: peer relations and school performance may suffer, the parent-child relationship may be permanently damaged, and the child may be placed at greater risk of future incarceration by the criminal justice system (Bloom 1993). This as well as stigma and prejudice are an issue , as Female offenders are constructed as ‘bad girls’ who abrogate the social ideal of the ‘feminine’. Offending mothers, moreover, are seen to negate the maternal role of the nurturing caregiver (Farrell, 1998b) as well as a denial of the continuous support of family members. (national prison census ). This in turn leads to the child’s suffering as the child will forever will be subject to the stigma of the child with ‘’the bad parent’’, an issue that can lead to bullying and in turn mental health issues. This is a clear cut example of the way in which a family member becoming incarcerated, particularly a parent, to an individual is irrevocably linked to the children’s wellbeing.
Dislocation as a result of a prison sentencing is further exacerbated by the fact that a female inmate is often the primary caregiver for her children and disassociating with a male counterpart prior to her imprisonment often means that the female plays a pivotal role in her family, and is more often than not the most significant person in the lives of her dependent children. (Kinsey, 1993) It is estimated that at least 85 percent of female inmates in Australia are parents of dependent children and heads of single parent families (Easteal, 1992; Farrell, 1998b). This means that often the child of a recently incarcerated parents , especially in the case of mothers ,lose any semblance of a parental figure in their lives. This in turn meaning they have no sense of love and belonging. They have no one to guide them from right to wrong , to teach them the suitable ethics and morals and acceptable behaviours in society ,to provide them with physical and emotional stability ,hence impinging on their wellbeing, in all aspects in relation to Maslow’s.
LONG-TERM EFFECTS
A vast range of long-term effects of parental incarceration on children have been recognised. It constitutes a variety of factors, emphasizing the developmental level of the child.
Incarceration and infants. A small amount of women (3-4%, qld government) are pregnant in the time frame of their arrest, but there are few prisons with adequate provisions to deal with such situations. Research found that some prisons in which children reside still have active ‘practice’ lockdowns ,where the inmates and their childrens are forced to remain in their cells. This sometimes constitutes them staying there for a few hours at a time ,this causing a restrictive and uncomfortable environment for both the mother and the child. They are also stuck in their cells in other situations such as extended staff lunch breaks. A further obstruction being that some cells lack power points , for things such as warming up bottles or preparing meals , a potentially disruptive situation for mothers ,their children and other inmates. In most cases in America , mothers of newborn infants are permitted only a few days of contact before they must relinquish their infant and return to prison. In Australia it is a different case, the laws regarding the topic, varying from state to state. More often that not though, the child is allowed to reside with their mother ,until the age of 6, in which then they must attend school.. As a result, the laws in America restricting mothers from attending to there child in prison, often means that there is little opportunity for the mother to develop a bond to the baby, or vica versa and the mother hence doesn’t have time to truly get to know her child or for the baby to become familiar with her, the lack of an emotional bond often means the child will likely as a result develop emotional and behavioural problems. Myers et al. (1999)
Incarceration and young children. Even in the case of young children and incarceration ,there is still many issues and problems arisen. Even in the case of a child-parent attachment already being developed (as often being in the case for infants in their mothers care for atleast 9-12 months) ,there is still many issues that arise. The disruption and adverse change affiliated with the parental incarceration will likely still severe the parent-child relationship. (Thompson,1998). This being a drastic change to other changes that still adversely affect a childs wellbeing such as job loss,divorce, residential relocation. ( Thompson,lamb & Estes,1982;Vaughn et al,1979). This being clear evidence irrevocably linking the consequence of adverse shifts in life circumstances ,to that of a childs sense of illbeing.
Adverse shifts in life circumstances have been associated with a variety of factors, that are negative consequences of insecure attachments , such as children developing poorer peer relationships and diminished cognitive abilities.(Sroufe,1998).Children observed from ages 2-6 have been observed to have a vast variety of adverse outcomes, consistent with research conducted. (Johnson,1995).
In fact in accordance to a Baunach 1985 estimate, 70% of young children , with a detained mother are reported to have emotional or psychological issues or problems. Children are noted to have exhibited internalized problems such as anxiety, withdrawal, hyper vigilance, depression, shame and guilt. (Bloom & Steinhart, 1993; Dressler et al,1992). Some are reported to have eating disorders, with young children exhibiting behaviors such as aggression, anger,and hostility towards both guardians and siblings. (Fishman,1983; Gaudin,1984; Johnston, 1995; Jose-Kampfner,1995; Sack et al, 1976).; Jose-Kampfner, 1995; Sack et al. , 1976).
Incarceration and school-age children. Children in their school years with incarcerated parents have exhibited problems in school and forming /managing peer relationships. Sack et al (1976) reports that over 50% of the children who have incarcerated parents had problems in school , such as achieving poor grades, or displaying aggressive behaviours. In amongst the younger aged children (6-8 years old) in the Sack et al study (1987) , 16% of children displayed transient school phobias and were unwilling to attend school for an average of 4-6 weeks upon their parents incarceration. Another Stanton report (1980) shows that 70% of 166 children analyzed,with incarcerated mothers achieved a poor academic performance , with 5 % having behavioral problems. Another issue at school observed was the alienation or teasing from other children as a result of the child’s parent’s incarceration. (Jose- Kampfner,1991). Dropout and suspension rates are also higher for adolescents wit incarcerated parents. ( Trice, 1997).
Effects of incarceration on boys versus girls. Both genders and all ages are adversely affected by a parents incarceration. The modes of how they express their feelings however differ. Girls are more likely to display internalizing problems whereas boys exhibit externalizing behavior problems. (Cowan et al.,1994,Cummings,Davies &Campbell, 2000).It is generally expected for boys to be more dramatically affected as evidence shows that boys are more vulnerable to stressful changes than girls are ( Hetherington et al.,1998), though the evidence on this issue is unclear.
What leads to these problems? The answer to this a complex one. It is open to elaborate interpration. Incarceration in its beginning stages , often proceeded by familial instability , financial problems , child abuse , neglect marital problems or parental absence. These conditions combining to increase the base rates of problem behaviours in children with incarcerated parents. It is difficult to deduce the exact affect that the incarceration can have on a child as it differs from child to child , but certain behaviors can be attributed to this issue, such as the aforementioned discussed outcomes. In conclusion the incarceration of a family member or parent as stressed in this report is detrimental to one’s sense of wellbeing regardless of what life stage they are currently in.