Representing Children of Prisoners in the Public Domain: Comparing Children’s Views and Policy Documents

ABSTRACT

Australian adult prisoner numbers continue to rise to what have been described as unprecedented and unsustainable levels. Research highlights that there are wide-ranging consequences of incarceration for families, and particularly for children. Despite the available research describing the negative impact of parental incarceration on children, it has been argued that these children remain virtually invisible to policy makers and social programs. Using a combination of policy analyses and findings from a research project undertaken in the Australian Capital Territory aimed at identifying the needs of children who have a parent in prison, we examine how this group of children is constructed and responded to by the systems that surround the children. It is argued that it is only when children are seen in a more holistic way that systems can respond more collaboratively to effectively support children.

IMPLICATIONS

• Children of prisoners have needed to rely on adults to recognise the problem of parental incarceration and petition for them.

• It is time for those who inform and develop social policy to consider the impact of current policies on children.

• It is only when children are seen in a more holistic way that systems can respond more collaboratively to effectively support them.

澳大利亚成年人系狱人数持续增长达到了据说空前且不可持续的水平。囚犯的家属特别是子女受到方方面面的影响。除了研究者所描述的父母系狱对孩子的负面影响，论者也提到政策制定者以及社会项目视这些子女如无物。本文采用政策分析，并结合澳大利亚首都特区的一项针对囚犯子女需求的研究，考察了这组儿童的周遭系统是如何理解他们、对待他们的，指出该系统只有更整体地看待这些孩子，才更有可能携手有效地帮助他们。

KEYWORDS:

• Children of Prisoners
• Children
• Social Policy
• Children’s Rights

Acknowledgments

Thank you to the children and young people who generously gave their time and wisdom to the study.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by SHINE for Kids.