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…
Incarceration has become an increasingly common event in the lives of young adult men and children. While father's history of incarceration (FHI) robustly correlates with delinquency and criminal justice involvement among sons, this research has not been contextualized to racial stratification present in the U.S. Addressing this gap in current literature, this study attempts to examine the effects of FHI on delinquency and adult arrest among national samples of white, African American, and Hispanic males from the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health. Given the large inequalities…
Adolescents who experience repeated change in family structure as parents begin and end romantic unions are more likely than adolescents in stable family structures to engage in aggressive, antisocial, or delinquent behavior. This paper examines whether the link between family structure instability and behavior in adolescence may be explained, in part, by the residential and school mobility that are often associated with family structure change. Nationally-representative data from a two-generation study are used to assess the relative effects of instability and mobility on the mother-reported…
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Journal Article Although much research has focused on how imprisonment transforms the life course of disadvantaged black men, researchers have paid little attention to how parental imprisonment alters the social experience of childhood. This article estimates the risk of parental imprisonment by age 14 for black and white children born in 1978 and 1990. This article also estimates the risk of parental imprisonment for children whose parents did not fi nish high school, fi nished high school only, or attended college. Results show the following: (1) 1 in 40 white children born in 1978 and 1 in 25 white…
This Web site contains a collection of fact sheets in PDF format from the NCSL's publication Connecting Low-Income Fathers and Families: A Guide to Practical Policies . The topics are:* Low-Income Fathers* Services for Fathers* Collaboration* Financing Fatherhood Programs* How Child Support Affects Low-Income Fathers* Prevention* Incarcerated Fathers
This report explores mentoring as a tool for supporting the successful reintegration of formerly incarcerated individuals within the context of a larger reentry strategy?in this case, the Ready4Work model. Ready4Work was a three-year national demonstration designed to address the needs of the growing ex-prisoner population and to test the capacity of community- and faith-based organizations to meet those needs. This report describes Ready4Work's mentoring component; it examines the extent to which mentoring was attractive to participants, the types of adults who volunteered to serve as…
Brief
Little is known empirically about the implications of parental incarceration for children. This policy brief summarizes research examining the effects of paternal incarceration on several measures of children's school readiness, identifies circumstances that increase or mitigate children's risk, and identifies family processes that mediate incarceration's effects, presenting opportunities for policy and service intervention. (Author abstract modified)
Brief
This brief shares research findings on juvenile delinquency, explores the association between juvenile delinquency and family structure, and discusses implications for marriage education programs. Statistics are reported from a 20-year longitudinal study that indicate boys who grew up without their biological father in the home were three times more likely to commit a crime that led to incarceration than children from intact families. Additional findings are discussed that found children of divorced parents are up to six times more likely to be delinquent than children from intact families…
For a variety of reasons, many dads do not see their children on a regular basis. As a result, they often have to redefine their roles and responsibilities as a father. Incarcerated dads have extraordinary challenges to keeping track of their children's development and activities. Nevertheless, incarcerated dads across the country are improving the quality of their relationships with their children just by starting with a little inspiration, mixing in some imagination, and adding a lot of love. This Spotlight highlights several creative ways that incarcerated dads have used to stay connected…
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Journal Article A study was conducted of 51 Georgia offenders who were substance abusers and fathers to 130 children. Findings indicate that despite their lack of participation in hands-on fathering, offenders cited children as one of their biggest motivators for success upon release. The majority wanted to re-connect with their children and to become both a good role model and a meaningful part of their children's lives. 4 references.
