2014 Child Support Policy Symposium March 18, 2014

  Scope of Incarceration  Economic Impact on former inmates  Economic impact on children Economic Impact of Incarceration

Collateral Costs: Incarceration’s Effect on Economic Mobility. Western, Bruce and Becky Pettit, The Pew Charitable Trusts.2010, dFiles/wwwpewtrustsorg/Reports/ Economic_Mobility/Collateral%20 Costs%20FINAL.pdf dFiles/wwwpewtrustsorg/Reports/ Economic_Mobility/Collateral%20 Costs%20FINAL.pdf

  54% of inmates are parents of minor children  1 in 28 children has an incarcerated parent  More than 10% of African American children have an incarcerated father and 1% have an incarcerated mother  1% of all children currently have a parent incarcerated for a drug crime Impact of Incarceration on Children

  44% of incarcerated parents lived with their children prior to incarceration  More than half of incarcerated parents were the primary earners for their children  During the period of the father’s incarceration, the average child’s family income fell 22%  Family income after incarceration remained 15% below pre-incarceration level Impact of Incarceration on Children

  Parental income is one of the strongest indicators of a child’s chances for upward economic mobility  Children of incarcerated parents have more difficulty in school Impact of Incarceration on Children

  Substantial financial obligations  Court or supervision fees  Restitution  Child Support  Difficulty finding employment  Lack of skills and experience  Lack of professional network/references  Stigma of incarceration Post-Incarceration Challenges

 Example: Obtaining a Driver License  Proof of birth date  Social Security card/number  Stable residence  Application form  60 day wait  Written/driving test may be required  Holds, suspensions, revocations Post-Incarceration Challenges

 Other Challenges  Safekeeping of Important Documents  Safe and Stable living arrangements  Former habits, hangouts, relationships  Making and keeping Appointments  Medication  Treatment  Support Network Post-Incarceration Challenges

  Securing stable employment is the key to successful reentry  Access to education, job training and work supports help offenders secure employment and break the cycle of crime  Offenders who participated in prison education programs were 29% less likely to be re-incarcerated Post-Incarceration Challenges

  Collateral Costs: Incarceration’s Effect on Economic Mobility. Western, Bruce and Becky Pettit, The Pew Charitable Trusts.2010, lity/Collateral%20Costs%20FINAL.pdf lity/Collateral%20Costs%20FINAL.pdf  Prison and the Poverty Trap: Long Prison Terms Eyed as Contributing to Poverty, By JOHN TIERNEY, Published: February 18, 2013, contributing-to-poverty.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0JOHN TIERNEY contributing-to-poverty.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0  Geller, Amanda, Irwin Garfinkel, and Bruce Western “Paternal Incarceration and Support for Children in Fragile Families.” Demography 48: 25-47,  Getting Out and Staying Out: A Guide to San Francisco Resources for People Leaving Jails and Prisons, The Reentry Council of the City and County of San Francisco. 2012, content/uploads/2012/07/Getting-Out-and-Staying-Out.pdfhttp://sfreentry.com/wp- content/uploads/2012/07/Getting-Out-and-Staying-Out.pdf Resources

  65 Million “Need Not Apply”: The Case for Reforming Criminal Background Checks for Employment ; Rodriguez, M. & Emsellem, M.; The National Employment Law Project;  Western, Bruce and Becky Pettit “Incarceration and Social Inequality.” Daedalus 139(3):  From Prison to Work: A Proposal for a National Prisoner Reentry Program ; Western, B.;T The Brookings Institute; The Hamilton Project; Discussion Paper ; on%20to%20work%20western/12_prison_to_work_western.PDF on%20to%20work%20western/12_prison_to_work_western.PDF  Prison Studies Project – Publications, Resources