Parenting programmes for incarcerated parents (original) (raw)
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Current Issues in Criminal Justice
Despite a relative paucity of information on the impact that incarceration of a parent has on a child, most literature agrees that the effects are real and profound. Corrective Services NSW (CSNSW) in conjunction with Tresillian Family Care Centres introduced a parenting program, Mothering at a Distance (MAAD), across correctional facilities for female prisoners in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. The central aim of the Program was to provide early parenting education and support intervention to mothers in custody, with the aim of guarding against the intergenerational cycle of crime. The Program intended to enhance a prisoner's ability to provide appropriate and sensitive parenting and reduce the emotional and social impact of separation on their children. An evaluation of the Program's development, implementation, effectiveness, and sustainability was conducted on all groups run between October 2006 and December 2008. This article provides a summary of the evaluation findings. * Victoria Perry is the Research and Information Manager with Corporate Research, Evaluation and Statistics (CRES), Corrective Services NSW (CSNSW) and has a research background in child and family psychology, family conflict and child abduction. Cathrine Fowler is a child and family health nurse and is the Professor for the Tresillian Chair in Child and Family Health Nursing. She has extensive experience working with parents and their young children. Kyleigh Heggie is the Assistant Director (CRES), CSNSW and has an extensive research background in criminological and penological research. Karen Barbara is a Research Officer (CRES), in CSNSW and has a background in information and communication.
Designing Prison Based Parenting Programs to Maximise their Outcomes
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 2019
Parenting programs are increasingly being offered in prison as governments seek to reduce the negative consequences of parental imprisonment and encourage desistance from crime. However, little is known about the design and delivery of such programs and how this may shape program effectiveness. This article seeks to address this gap by examining how the design and delivery of the Families Matter program for imprisoned adult fathers in Northern Ireland affected its ability to achieve its goals of improving family relationships and fathers’ parenting skills. Examples of good practice are offered, as well as challenges that remain to be overcome. It is argued that more attention needs to be paid to the design and delivery of these programs if their ability to achieve long-term improvements in family relationships and parenting skills are to be improved.
Designing Prison-Based Parenting Programs to Maximize Their Outcomes
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology
Parenting programs are increasingly being offered in prison as governments seek to reduce the negative consequences of parental imprisonment and encourage desistance from crime. However, little is known about the design and delivery of such programs and how this may shape program effectiveness. This article seeks to address this gap by examining how the design and delivery of the Families Matter program for imprisoned adult fathers in Northern Ireland affected its ability to achieve its goals of improving family relationships and fathers’ parenting skills. Examples of good practice are offered, as well as challenges that remain to be overcome. It is argued that more attention needs to be paid to the design and delivery of these programs if their ability to achieve long-term improvements in family relationships and parenting skills are to be improved.
Parenting From a County Jail: Parenting From Beyond the Bars.
Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 2019
The incarceration of mothers affects 1.7 million minor children who are at high risk of behavioral problems, emotional trauma, and future incarceration. The jail setting removes women from society for brief periods of time providing an opportunity to offer essential interventions for those who will be returning to the community, and possibly their children, rather quickly. Utilizing a pre- and post-test quasi-experimental design, we measured the self-reported treatment effects for female inmates, housed in a county jail in the New York metropolitan area, who completed an evidence-based parenting program. Program participants reported reduced depression, increased parental knowledge, and increased communication with their families and fellow inmates. The results indicated that alternative ways of measuring program success are needed – particularly for populations who present with long histories of criminal justice involvement and drug use.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
The majority of incarcerated adults are parents. While in prison, most parents maintain at least some contact with their families. A positive connection with family during imprisonment is hypothesized to improve long-term success after release. One way in which departments of corrections attempt to facilitate positive connections with family is through prison-based parenting programs. One such program, developed in collaboration with the Oregon Department of Corrections, is the cognitive-behavioral parent management training program Parenting Inside Out (PIO). Outcomes due to PIO were examined within the context of a randomized controlled trial. Incarcerated parents from all correctional facilities in the state of Oregon were recruited to participate, and eligible parents who consented (N = 359) were transferred to participating releasing institutions. After initial assessment, parents were randomized to condition (i.e., PIO “intervention” condition or services-as-usual “control” co...
Child Care in Practice, 2018
During imprisonment, fathers are separated from their families and contact is limited. When delivering a prison based parenting programme, providing an opportunity to rehearse newly acquired parenting skills can be key for mastering the performance of these skills and using these skills to improve father-child relationships. This paper takes an in-depth look at how one parenting programme in Northern Ireland sought to overcome this challenge by providing additional opportunities to parent via increased telephone contact and special family friendly visits. Using a combination of in-depth interviews and observations, how fathers and their families responded to this increased contact is explored, as well as the extent to which this increased contact facilitated the acquisition of the parenting skills being taught on the programme. It is argued that while prison based parenting programmes can improve parenting skills and father-child relationships, their potential long-term effectiveness may be limited by wider prison policies, procedures and practices surrounding prison visitation, telephone access and the progression of fathers following the completion of such programmes. Recommendations and suggestions for future practice are offered.
Mothering at a Distance: What Incarcerated Mothers Value About a Parenting Program
Contemporary nurse, 2015
Children with incarcerated mothers experience a range of adverse health, social, emotional and economic circumstances, and are a particularly vulnerable group within the Australian community. Mothers in custody face significant challenges to their capacity to parent their children. This study presents findings from a mixed-methods evaluation of a parenting support program for incarcerated mothers in NSW Australia. It examines responses to open and closed questions on a questionnaire to identify participants' views on the program's impact on their parenting role. Quantitative data indicated that participants found the program worthwhile and relevant, and that it helped build their parenting knowledge and confidence. Qualitative responses highlighted the aspects of the program which participants valued, specifically gaining support for their parenting role in complicated circumstances, a greater understanding of child development and perspectives, and a range of practical stra...
BMJ Open
IntroductionChildren of incarcerated parents comprise a greatly disadvantaged group in society and positive parenting constitutes an important factor for children’s healthy development. Internationally developed parenting interventions for incarcerated parents suggest an impact on parenting outcomes, but no such evaluation has been undertaken in Sweden.This study aims to investigate the effects of the parenting programme currently offered in prisons in Sweden, For Our Children’s Sake (FOCS), through a controlled trial with a parallel implementation process evaluation.Methods and analysisThe effectiveness trial is carried out as a non-blinded controlled trial with a parallel investigation of the implementation process using mixed methods. Participants comprise incarcerated parents (men and women) in Swedish prisons with a target sample size of 76 parents. Eligible parents have a child aged 0 to 18 years, no prohibition to contact or committed a crime against the child, or a violent c...
Children and Youth Services Review, 2014
Most incarcerated women are mothers. Parenting programs may benefit women, children and families, yet effectively intervening in correctional settings is a challenge. An evidence-based parenting intervention (the Strengthening Families Program) was tailored and implemented with women in a jail setting. Goals were to assess mothers' needs and interests regarding parenting while they were incarcerated, adapt the program to address those needs, and establish intervention delivery and evaluation methods in collaboration with a community-based agency. Women reported wanting to know more about effective communication; how children manage stress; finances; drug and alcohol use; self-care; and stress reduction. They reported high program satisfaction and reported reduced endorsement of corporal punishment after the intervention. Barriers to implementation included unpredictable attendance from session to session due to changing release dates, transfer to other facilities, and jail policies (e.g., lock-down; commissary hours). Implications for sustainable implementation of parenting programs in jail settings are discussed.
Parental practices under the perspective of incarcerated fathers
Psico-USF, 2022
This study aimed to evaluate and compare the perception of parenting practices before and during the incarceration of men deprived of liberty. Fifty-seven men aged between 22 and 61 years (M = 36.16; SD = 8.44) participated in the study, with family income of one to two minimum wages (31.6%), did not complete elementary school (54.4%), were married (73.7%), and had two or more children (73.7%) aged 4 to 16 years. They answered socio-demographic questions and the Parenting Practices Inventory (PPI) for conditions in liberty and in prison. Data were analyzed using descriptive analysis, mean comparison tests and Pearson correlation. Regarding their condition of imprisonment, there was a significant reduction in scores of parental practices of "Discipline", "Education" and "Social", but not in "Affection". The scores for "Discipline" for conditions in liberty and in prison showed a strong correlation. The implications of these results are discussed, limitations and future directions are also indicated.