Major
Criminology and Criminal Justice
Advisor
Kittila, Jennifer
Date
4-2020
Keywords
Children; Incarcerated Parents; Criminal Justice System
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 License.
Abstract
Today, more than 2.7 million children have parents that are currently incarcerated. These children face a plethora of issues, including economic troubles, familial disputes, and mental issues. Children also suffer from strained relationships with their parents who are in prison and many of them are thrown into the foster system, which already has trouble providing for the number of children they have. Plenty of research has been conducted regarding the possibility of these children offending later in his/her life as well. This research shows the chances of the child offending later in life is high. However, not enough research is done regarding how we can combat those odds. It is for this reason that I have compiled research conducted that shows the effects that having incarcerated parents has on children and used the information to create a children’s book to aid these children through the process of incarceration.
My book, entitled “1 in 2 Million,” contains colorful drawings of young children who all have parents in the criminal justice system. These children live very different lives but connect when they find out they each have a parent currently in prison. The aim of this book is to familiarize children with the criminal justice system. Children are oftentimes embarrassed if a classmate or friend discovers they have a parent in jail. Therefore, I want this book to help these children realize they do not need to be embarrassed because they are not alone. They are 1 in a population of 2.7 million other children who struggle with incarcerated parents. Within the story itself, there are many prominent figures in the criminal justice system to make sure children know their role. My book also includes information about what activities or programs their parents might do in prison to work on rehabilitation. Finally, the story offers some options to the children regarding programs they can join in order to cope with the challenges of having a parent(s) in prison.
I hope my book helps the reader, both child and parent, recognize that the child is not confined to a life of grief, anger, or contempt towards the criminal justice system. I created this book to inspire children to love their parents in prison/jail, to appreciate what they do for them, and to take pride in their own strength.
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