Vulnerable Populations

8.1 Building Partnerships with Community-Based

Incarceration and the Family: A Review of Research and Promising Approaches for Serving Fathers and Families. 8.1 Building Partnerships with Community-Based Organizations

In a broad sense, correctional and human service agencies often have different roles and priorities that can impede the implementation of family strengthening efforts with incarcerated and reentering fathers (Festen et al., 2002; Nurse, 2004; Rossman, 2001). Correctional institutions prioritize public safety, which carries an emphasis on controll

Incarceration and the Family: A Review of Research and Promising Approaches for Serving Fathers and Families. 8. Challenges to Implementing Family Strengthening Programs in Prison and at Reentry

Numerous challenges to program implementation have been identified that apply to both marriage education and parenting programs during incarceration and after reentry. Cooperation between criminal justice and community-based human service agencies, family involvement, participant recruitment and retention, stigma, and cultural competence are some

Incarceration and the Family: A Review of Research and Promising Approaches for Serving Fathers and Families. 7.5 Research Limitations

Most existing evaluations of prison-based parenting programs are limited by small sample sizes and brief follow-up periods, and all rely on self-report measures, which raise concerns about the social desirability of fathers’ responses. A major research gap is understanding how to bring these programs to scale in criminal justice systems and pres

Incarceration and the Family: A Review of Research and Promising Approaches for Serving Fathers and Families. 7.4 Post-Release Family Programs

To be effective, it is important to offer consistent support both during and after imprisonment. However, programs involving family during pre-release preparation and after release have been scarce and have been subject to limited evaluation (e.g., Bobbitt & Nelson, 2004). A thorough review of programs to assist with prisoners post-release did

Incarceration and the Family: A Review of Research and Promising Approaches for Serving Fathers and Families. 7.3 Rehabilitation Programs

Educational and job readiness programs may benefit partners and children if ex-offenders are more likely to find higher-paying and stable employment.

7.2.4 Other Efforts to Address Parenting

Incarceration and the Family: A Review of Research and Promising Approaches for Serving Fathers and Families. 7.2.4 Other Efforts to Address Parenting

Other types of evidence-based practices used with children and families could be tailored to children of incarcerated fathers to reduce the deleterious effects of father imprisonment (Murray & Farrington, 2006). Recently, a review of fatherhood initiatives identified 35 effective or promising programs utilizing various strategies with diverse

Incarceration and the Family: A Review of Research and Promising Approaches for Serving Fathers and Families. 7.2.3 Programs with Children

Some prison parenting programs involve children. These programs usually incorporate enhanced visitation and/or parent-child play activities, which may or may not be supervised by program staff (Adalist-Estrin, 1994; Brenner, 1999; Dunn & Arbuckle, 2002; Hughes & Harrison-Thompson, 2002; Jeffries et al., 2001; Landreth & Lobaugh, 1998)

Incarceration and the Family: A Review of Research and Promising Approaches for Serving Fathers and Families. 7.2.2 Group Therapy

Group therapy or counseling sessions are another type of program that has been offered to incarcerated fathers (Jeffries et al., 2001; Magaletta & Herbst, 2001). The goal of these programs is often to empower fathers to improve their parenting attitudes and behaviors to prevent violence and enhance relationships (Jeffries et al., 2001). The

Incarceration and the Family: A Review of Research and Promising Approaches for Serving Fathers and Families. 7.2.1 Group Classes

Like marriage- and relationship-strengthening programs, parenting programs most often take the form of group classes delivered in prisons (Brenner, 1999; Hughes & Harrison-Thompson, 2002; Jeffries et al., 2001). Such programs cover a variety of content, including

Incarceration and the Family: A Review of Research and Promising Approaches for Serving Fathers and Families. 7.2 Parenting Programs in Prison

Only 11 percent of fathers in state prison report ever participating in a parenting class.

7.1.5 Research Limitations on Marriage and

Incarceration and the Family: A Review of Research and Promising Approaches for Serving Fathers and Families. 7.1.5 Research Limitations on Marriage and Relationship Education Programs

Recently published reviews of the marriage-strengthening literature concur that, including lack of control/comparison groups, short follow-up periods, and use of non-standardized measures. Evaluation results are particularly limited for programs targeting racial and ethnic minorities (Larson, 2004), couples with low education and income, and coupl

Incarceration and the Family: A Review of Research and Promising Approaches for Serving Fathers and Families. 7.1.4 Marriage and Family Strengthening Grants for Incarcerated Fathers and their Partners

On September 30, 2006, with funding provided by the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Family Assistance (OFA) announced grant awards to 226 organizations to promote healthy marriage and responsible fatherhood. Thirteen of these awards were funde

Incarceration and the Family: A Review of Research and Promising Approaches for Serving Fathers and Families. 7.1.3 Furlough Programs

Male prisoners in Massachusetts who received furloughs were less likely to return to prison within one year after release compared with those who did not receive furloughs.

Incarceration and the Family: A Review of Research and Promising Approaches for Serving Fathers and Families. 7.1.2 Couples Counseling

Similar to marital education in a group format, couples counseling workshops have been used in prisons to strengthen intimate partner relationships (Showalter & Jones, 1980). In these sessions with small groups of couples or one-on-one, discussion may focus on (1) changes experienced by each partner during incarceration, (2) communication skil

Incarceration and the Family: A Review of Research and Promising Approaches for Serving Fathers and Families. 7.1.1 Group Classes

The majority of prison marriage and relationship education programs are designed as a series of group classes. They usually involve both incarcerated men and their partners, although the value of programming for men alone may have merits as well (Kaslow, 1987). Couples generally meet with a facilitator, clinician, or chaplain at the prison, with m

Incarceration and the Family: A Review of Research and Promising Approaches for Serving Fathers and Families. 7.1 Marriage and Relationship Education Programs in Prison

Teaching incarcerated fathers and their partners relationship skills may help the reentry transition and reduce recidivism.

Incarceration and the Family: A Review of Research and Promising Approaches for Serving Fathers and Families. 7. Family Strengthening Programs

Incarceration and the Family: A Review of Research and Promising Approaches for Serving Fathers and Families. 6.6 Research Limitations

Much of the research examining the links between prisoner reentry and father-child relationships is based on qualitative interviews with small samples of fathers (for exceptions, see Bahr et al., 2005; Naser & Farrell, 2004; Visher & Courtney, 2007).

6.5 Positive Parenting Relations and Criminal

Incarceration and the Family: A Review of Research and Promising Approaches for Serving Fathers and Families. 6.5 Positive Parenting Relations and Criminal Desistance

Fathers clearly face many challenges to reestablishing their relationships with their children upon release from prison. In turn, the quality of these relationships may affect their reentry success. Unfortunately, most studies that have found associations between family closeness and support and reduced criminal involvement have focused on the fam

Incarceration and the Family: A Review of Research and Promising Approaches for Serving Fathers and Families. 6.4 Risk of Child Abuse

Research has not documented the prevalence of child abuse among children of incarcerated fathers or the implications of incarceration and reentry for child abuse. Nonetheless, programs that aim to strengthen father-child relationships of incarcerated fathers tend to exclude fathers who are incarcerated because of crimes against children (Dunn &

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