Do NOT Reproduce without permission of CFB 1

What We Do Know About… Do NOT Reproduce without permission of CFB 2 One in 28 children have an incarcerated parent Approximately half of children with incarcerated parents are under ten years old 10 million children have a parent who is or has been under criminal justice supervision One in 9 African American children and 1 in 28 Latino children has a parent in prison, compared to 1 in 57 white children in US have an incarcerated parent 2% of incarcerated fathers and 8-10% of mothers have children in foster care

What We Do Know About… Do NOT Reproduce without permission of CFB 3 About 15-20% of children entering the child welfare system have incarcerated parents 1 in 5 every 5 African American children who come to the attention of child welfare have a recently arrested parent Witnessing the arrest of a parent intensifies the child’s loss, sense of helplessness and creates additional trauma

Arrest Do NOT Reproduce without permission of CFB 4 67% were handcuffed in front of their children 27% reported weapons drawn in front of their children 4.3% reported a physical struggle 3.2% reported the use of pepper spray Children who witnessed an arrest of a household member were 57% more likely to have elevated posttraumatic stress symptoms

What We Do Know About… Do NOT Reproduce without permission of CFB 5 Social stigma causes families to avoid discussing the absence of a parent. Being kept in the dark can influence children emotionally and psychologically and impact the restoration of parent-child relations when the parent is prison and is released A misperception exists that children of incarcerated parents are more likely to be incarcerated than their peers and are predisposed to criminal activity. There is no basis for this in existing research.. Parental incarceration is now recognized as an “adverse childhood experience: (ACE); it is distinguished from other adverse childhood experiences by the unique combination of trauma, shame and stigma..

Why We Do Not Know More Do NOT Reproduce without permission of CFB 6 Studies focused on those who intersect with child protective services Data on children living with other parents, relatives are inconsistent and inconclusive There is no accountability or oversight of Federal, State or Local law enforcement, judiciary, or other criminal justice agencies to identify children of arrestees and persons in prison

Why We Do Not Know More Do NOT Reproduce without permission of CFB 7 There are no inter-agency efforts to assess the impact that law enforcement and criminal justice policies have on children and families At the time of arrest, conviction and imprisonment, parents are often fearful of giving information about their children and families. Therefore information that is gathered is usually extremely inaccurate

ACCIPP Do NOT Reproduce without permission of CFB 8 To improve the lives of children impacted by the criminal justice system (arrest through reentry) by: Increased awareness Improved programs Policy reforms

ACCIPP Do NOT Reproduce without permission of CFB 9 Partnership includes law enforcement, social service, and health providers, representatives of government bodies, educators, advocates and others We use Children of Incarcerated Parents: A Bill of Rights as a framework to guide our activities

A Bill of Rights Do NOT Reproduce without permission of CFB 10 I have the right to be safe and informed at the time of my parent’s arrest …to be heard when decisions are made about me …to be considered when decisions are made about my parents …to be well cared for in my parent’s absence

A Bill of Rights Do NOT Reproduce without permission of CFB 11 …to speak with, see and touch my parents …to support as I face my parent’s incarceration …not to be judged, blamed or labeled because my parent is incarcerated …to a lifelong relationship with my parent

What you can do to help… Do NOT Reproduce without permission of CFB 12 Complete Data Collection Survey Join our Partnership Let us know if you have training needs

Thank You Do NOT Reproduce without permission of CFB 13