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Intro -- Acknowledgments -- Contents -- Editors and Authors -- About the Editors -- About the Authors -- Introduction to Incarcerated Mothers and Their Children: Separation, Loss, and Reunification -- Maternal Incarceration and Other Forms of Criminal Justice Involvement in the United States -- Theoretical Considerations and Unifying Themes -- Previous Research on Maternal Incarceration and Gaps in the Literature -- Empirical Studies in This Volume -- Conclusion -- References -- Longitudinal Perspectives on Mother-Child Separation Resulting from Incarceration -- Contexts of Risk -- Disrupted Childhoods -- Method -- Participants -- Results -- Findings at T1: Growing Up with a Mother in Trouble with the Law -- Parent-Child Separation -- Poverty and Constrained Social Networks -- Exposure to Violence -- Maternal Incarceration and Reentry -- Findings at T2: Continued Disadvantage -- Different Time, Same Challenges -- Growing Up Early -- Effects of Maternal Incarceration -- Discussion -- Policy Implications -- Limitations -- Conclusion -- References -- The Benefits of Doula Support for Women Who Are Pregnant in Prison and Their Newborns -- Women Who Are Pregnant and Incarcerated -- Doula Support for Incarcerated Women -- Method -- Data Analysis -- Results -- Quantitative Data -- Participant Characteristics -- Doula Visits -- Maternal Reports of Program Satisfaction and Time Spent with Baby -- Labor and Birth Outcomes -- Qualitative Themes -- Women Expressed that the Time with Their Infants Was Not Long Enough -- Women Savored Every Minute with Their Infants -- Doulas Observed Strong Maternal-Infant Bonding -- Discussion -- Doula Support -- Labor and Delivery Outcomes -- Neonatal Outcomes -- Limitations -- Policy Implications -- Conclusions -- References -- Maternal Pre- and Post-release Behaviors in a Residential Parenting Program (Prison Nursery).

​This Brief explores the potential effects of parent-child contact during incarceration on child and adult relationships, well-being, and parenting as well as corrections-related issues, such as institutional behavior and recidivism. It presents a literature review on what is currently known about parent-child contact during parental incarceration in addition to several empirical studies, followed by a summary, commentary, and briefing report. The empirical studies focus on contact in both jail and prison settings. Because jails in the United States handle more admissions per year than prisons

"As the United States approaches its 50th year of mass incarceration, more children than ever before have experienced the incarceration of a parent. The vast majority of incarceration occurs in locally operated jails and disproportionately impacts families of color, those experiencing poverty, and rural households. However, we are only beginning to understand the various ways in which children cope with the incarceration of a parent - particularly the coping of young children who are most at risk for the adversity and also the most detrimentally impacted. When Are You Coming Home? helps answer questions about how young ones are faring when a parent is incarcerated in jail. Situated within a resilience model of development, the book presents findings related to children's stress, family relationships, health, home environments, and visit experiences through the eyes of the children and families. This humanizing, social justice-oriented approach discusses the paramount need to support children and their families before, during, and after a parent's incarceration while the country simultaneously grapples with strategies of reform and decarceration"--

"In the United States today, roughly 1 in 25 children has a parent behind bars. This insightful volume provides an authoritative, multidisciplinary analysis of how parental incarceration affects children and what can be done to help them. Contributors to this book bring a wide array of tools for studying the children of incarcerated adults. Sociologists and demographers apply sophisticated techniques for conducting descriptive and causal analyses, with a strong focus on social inequality. Developmental psychologists and family scientists explore how proximal processes, such as parent–child relationships and micro-level family interactions, may mediate or moderate the consequences of parental incarceration. Criminologists offer important insights into the consequences of parental criminality and incarceration. And practitioners who design and evaluate interventions review a variety of programs targeting parents, children, the criminal justice system, and the plight of poor children more broadly. Given the vast implications of mass incarceration for individual children and their families, as well as the future of inequality in the United States, this book will serve as a definitive resource for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers.-- Preface. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

ObjectiveMental health symptoms in jailed parents with young children were examined in relation to gender, race, trauma, parenting stress, and supports.BackgroundMost U.S. incarceration occurs in jails, which are notorious for high rates of mental illness. Jail incarceration is a significant stressor for families because most incarcerated individuals are parents.MethodThe sample included 165 jailed parents with children (aged 2–6 years) who completed an interview and questionnaires. Relative risk analyses determined symptom severity, and multivariate analysis of variance tested differences in White and non‐White mothers and fathers. Ordinary least squares regression examined predictors of mental health symptoms.ResultsDepression and thought problems (hallucinations, strange thoughts, self‐harm) were the most common problems. Jailed mothers reported more depression, anxiety, attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and drug abuse than fathers. Childhood physical abuse and parenting stress were associated with more symptoms, whereas family support related to fewer symptoms.ConclusionJailed parents experienced 3 to 5 times the odds of symptoms compared with norms, with a high rate of comorbidities relative to the low proportion of parents who received any mental health treatment.ImplicationsMental health interventions for jailed parents are needed, especially gender‐responsive, trauma‐informed services that decrease parenting stress and foster positive family connections.

ObjectiveIn this Lesson from the Field, we describe an intervention designed by our transdisciplinary team focusing on opportunities for enhanced parent–child visits when a parent is incarcerated in jail. We present implementation challenges and lessons learned from our pilot feasibility study.BackgroundSeparation from one's parent because of incarceration has become an increasingly common experience for U.S. children, with one in 14 children experiencing a coresident parent leaving for prison or jail. Parental incarceration is associated with elevated risk for less optimal child development outcomes, yet few evidence‐based interventions are available to mitigate this risk.ExperienceOur field experience underscores knowledge about intervention development and lessons learned in four areas: (a) use of visit coaching with jailed parents and caregivers, (b) application of video chat technology, (c) serving families holistically, and (d) developing family‐focused services in jails.Conclusion and ImplicationsOur study highlights the value of integrating multiple perspectives, ensuring flexibility with families, combining technology with enhanced support strategies, and collaborating with community organizations and government agencies. The intervention can be implemented without extensive training and can be useful across different family professionals working with families involved in the criminal justice system.