Children of Incarcerated Adults

Center for Rural Health and Research

Grundy and Scott Counties

This project report is designed to summarize the known effects of incarceration of parents on their children and explore the possible scope of this issue within the state of Tennessee using data from Scott and Grundy counties. 

 

 

  • Background

    In 2019, an estimated 2.3 million people were incarcerated across the varying levels of the correctional institution system.1

    Of this population, around 540,000 are being held pre-trial, without conviction; with the majority (462,000) of these individuals housed in local jails.1 While rates of incarceration have lowered in most urban settings, they have continued to rise in rural settings. In urban settings, incarceration has fallen 18 percent since 2013, but a corresponding 27 percent increase was seen in rural areas.2 The harmful effects of incarceration on health outcomes are generally acknowledged, there is less consideration of the effects on the families of those who are incarcerated. Having one or both custodial parents incarcerated has been shown to be associated with higher rates of a variety of conditions in children including: learning disabilities, behavioral issues, developmental delays, depression, and difficulty forming attachments.2,3

    Parents cannot work while imprisoned and prolonged imprisonment (even without conviction) may result in termination at their places of employment, leading to economic hardships for families and children.

  • Survey

    A 2019 survey conducted in two Tennessee county jails in Grundy and Scott counties by the Tennessee Institute of Public Health (TNIPH), in collaboration with the Center for Rural Health and Research at East Tennessee State University, provides a sense of scale to the quantity of children in Tennessee who live with at least one parent who is incarcerated. The participants represented in this survey were all incarcerated individuals who would spend at least 3 months in jail. A total of 155 individuals responded to the survey. Of the respondents, 111 (77%) had children for a total of 331 children.

    Table 1: Children of Incarcerated Adults

     

    Scott County
    N(%)

    Grundy County
    N(%)

    Average
    (%)
    Have Biological Children Under 18

    		      
    Yes  78 (96.3)  43 (58.1)  77.2
    No    3 (3.7)  31 (41.9)  22.8
    Number of Children      
    1 22 (28.2) 23 (53.5) 40.8
    2 13 (16.7)  6 (14.0)  15.3 
    3   4 (5.1)  11 (25.6)  15.4 
    4 30 (38.5)    1 (2.3)  20.4 
    5 10 (12.8)    2 (4.7)    8.7 
    Total Children 230   82  
    Inmates with Children in Age Group      
    1 to 4 28 (35.9)  25 (58.1)  47.0
    5 to 9 33 (42.3)   17 (39.5)  40.9
    10 to 14 24 (30.8)   12 (27.9)  29.3
    15 to 18 29 (37.2)    7 (16.3)  26.7

    In total, 60% of the respondents with children reported having more than one child. Additionally, 47% and 41% of the respondents had at least one child between the ages of 1 to 4 and 5 to 9, respectively. Thus, the data gathered in this survey represent a significant population of affected children, many of whom are of a very young age. (Table 1)




    In addition to the number of children and their ages, a host of other data were collected to create a more complete picture of the situation of these children. Table 2 shows that 42% of the children in question do not reside with a biological parent. It also shows that 29% of the children have had their other parent incarcerated. Alarmingly, over half (57%) of the parents identify themselves as the key custodial parent for the children. One in 5 respondents are responsible for non-biological children, indicating that there may be even more children affected by their incarceration.

    Table 2: Residential and Custodial Status of Children

     

    Scott County
    N(%)

    Grundy County
    N(%)

    Average
    (%)
    Child Residence


    		      
    Biological Mother  46 (55.0) 26 (49.1) 52.6
    Biological Father  5 (6.0)    2 (3.8)   5.1
    Grandparent 17 (20.2) 11 (20.8) 20.4
    Family Member  8 (9.5)   9 (17.0) 12.4
    Foster Care  8 (9.5)   4 (7.5)  8.8
    Don't Know  0 (0.0)   1 (1.9)  0.7
    Other Parent Incarcerated      
    Yes 31 (39.7)   8 (19.1) 29.4
    No 47 (60.3)  34 (89.1) 70.6
    Custodial Parent      
    Yes 65 (83.3)  13 (30.2)  56.8
    No 13 (16.67)   30 (69.8)  43.2
    Responsible for Non-Biological Children      
    Yes 50 (64.9)    6 (14.3) 20.1
    No 27 (35.1)  36 (85.7) 79.9

     

  • Discussion

    Findings depict a situation that warrants further investigation. While this survey represents only two of Tennessee’s county jails at a single, given moment, it encompasses a disquieting statistic of 331 children affected by parental incarceration. Gathering this type of information on all individuals who enter into Tennessee’s county jails could create a more complete picture of the population of children who are affected by parental incarceration.

    Additionally, research into the reasons for incarceration of these parents is also important. As discussed earlier, especially in county and local jails, many individuals are not convicted but awaiting trial. These individuals, who are either unable or unwilling to make bond, are separated from their children and may face severe economic consequences, even if they are never convicted of a crime. As well, an estimated 1 in 5 incarcerated individuals are imprisoned on charges related to drugs.1 Substance abuse is an epidemic in Tennessee, with disastrous and severe consequences to Tennesseans of every age including: overdose deaths, emergency department visits, hospital costs, newborns with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, children in state custody, and people incarcerated for drug-related crimes. Substance abuse has enormous costs reflected in healthcare and criminal justice spending, as well as in lost workforce productivity. The cost of housing substance abusers as inmates is staggering to local governments, and the tragedy of lost lives and destroyed families is devastating. Steps must also be taken to ensure incarcerated parents are prepared to reintegrate into society and provide a safe and stable household for their children.

    This survey was developed to address a specific problem discovered during replication of the Correctional Career Pathways (CCP) program by the Tennessee institute of Public Health in Grundy and Scott counties in Tennessee. The original CCP program was established in Greene County, Tennessee in 2015 and has gained state and national acclaim for its innovation and sustainability. This model project is led by a multi-sector leadership team within a local community, including the sheriff, adult educators, and local employer(s) and gives non-violent criminal offenders the opportunity to break the cycle of arrest and incarceration and transition into the workforce. The CCP program aims to raise the profile of prisoner reentry to include both individual and family problems and practical economic issues, not only as an issue related to the criminal justice system.

    The CCP replication projects implemented in Grundy and Scott counties in 2018 provided resources, training and mentorship to establish unique community-based programs. Interest in reintegrating the whole person into a community where they can emerge from incarceration as a contributing member of society can truly make a difference in the fabric of social and economic well-being in distressed communities through the redirection of funding and social capital. Programs such as these can be vital in helping to improve behavioral, health and financial outcomes for these parents and their children. Parental incarceration is a growing problem across the nation, and appropriate steps need to be taken to better understand and address this issue. For more information about the CCP program, please contact TNIPH executive director, Ginny Kidwell, at kidwell@etsu.edu or 423-439-4651.

  • References

    1. Mass Incarceration: The Whole Pie 2019 | Prison Policy Initiative. https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/pie2019.html. Accessed November 13, 2019.

    2. Geography of Incarceration Shifts from Urban to Rural - Non Profit News | Nonprofit Quarterly. https://nonprofitquarterly.org/geography-of-incarceration-shifts-from-urban-to-rural/. Accessed May 25, 2020.

    3. Turney K. Stress Proliferation across Generations? Examining the Relationship between Parental Incarceration and Childhood Health. J Health Soc Behav. 2014;55(3):302-319. doi:10.1177/0022146514544173

    4. Miller KM. The impact of parental incarceration on children: An emerging need for effective interventions. Child Adolesc Soc Work J. 2006;23(4):472-486. doi:10.1007/s10560-006-0065-6