Parental Incarceration and Child Wellbeing in Fragile Families

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Parental Incarceration and Child Wellbeing in
Fragile Families

• Amanda Geller
• Irwin Garfinkel
• Columbia University School of Social Work

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Summary of Findings

• Parental incarceration is increasingly prevalent
  in United States cities, particularly among
  fathers.
• Fathers with incarceration histories earn less
  than other fathers and are less likely to be
  stably employed upon their release.
• Children whose fathers have been incarcerated
  live in households experiencing significantly
  more material hardship and more marital and
  residential instability.
• Differences in health and development are small,
  but suggest further disadvantage as children grow
  older.

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Presentation Agenda

• Motivation
• Data The Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing
  Study
• Fathers Incarceration
• Descriptive Statistics
• Labor Market Outcomes
• Family Stability
• Child Wellbeing
• Incarceration and Other Father Absence
• Mothers Incarceration
• Summary and Implications

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Motivation

• By the end of 2004, the United States had almost
  1.5 million people incarcerated, more than half
  of whom are parents.
• As of 2002, more than 2 million children had a
  parent in jail or prison.
• Despite the prevalence of parental incarceration,
  we know little about its short or long term
  effects on children.

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Motivation Theoretical Model
Father Characteristics
Father Incarceration
Family Instability
Child Wellbeing
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Data The Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing
Study

• Panel survey of 3800 new unwed parents
  (1998-2000), plus 1100 married parents
• Representative of births in large cities
• Large sample of unmarried fathers has high
  prevalence of incarceration history
• Follow-up interviews at 1, 3, 5, 9 years
• This report presents findings through childrens
  third birthday

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Fathers Incarceration Descriptive Statistics
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Fathers Incarceration Labor Market Outcomes

• Fathers who have been incarcerated are less
  stably employed, and earn less, than their
  never-incarcerated counterparts.

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Fathers Incarceration Family Instability

• Material hardship Did someone in family
• Receive free food Get evicted
• Lose phone service Not pay full utility bills
• Lose utility services Not pay full
  rent/mortgage
• Not see a doctor when one was needed
• Public Assistance receipt
• Marital status
• Residential moves

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Fathers Incarceration Family Instability

• Families in which the father has been
  incarcerated experience significantly more
  instability.

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Fathers Incarceration Child Wellbeing

• Child Health mothers (5-point) rating,
  overweight or obese status
• Cognitive Development PPVT (measures size and
  range of words children understand)
• Aggression eg. tantrums, destroying things,
  hitting
• Anxious/Depressive behavior eg. nervousness,
  fear, sadness
• Withdrawal eg. Avoiding eye contact, nonresponse
  to affection

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Fathers Incarceration Child Wellbeing

• No significant differences in physical health or
  cognitive development, but children with
  incarcerated fathers score significantly worse on
  two of three mental health measures

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Fathers Incarceration and Other Father Absence

• To what extent are hardship and mental health
  differences uniquely related to incarceration?
• Comparing different types of father absence
• Fathers incarcerated for portion of childs life
• Fathers who were never incarcerated, but
• Never lived with their partner (but had seen
  child)
• Never saw (or dont know about) child

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Fathers Incarceration and Other Father Absence
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Fathers Incarceration and Other Father Absence
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Fathers Incarceration Summary

• Fathers with incarceration histories perform
  significantly worse in the labor market.
• Families where a father has been incarcerated
  experience more instability and material
  hardship.
• Children in these families display slight
  developmental disadvantages.
• Child wellbeing is likely to worsen as children
  age
• Developmental indicators more refined for older
  children
• Cumulative effects of disadvantage

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Maternal Incarceration

• Mothers incarceration differs from fathers
• Far less prevalent (7 of sample vs. 41)
• Shorter sentences (Avg. 4.9 months vs. 12.3)
• Concentrated before childs birth (70 of
  ever-incarcerated mothers vs. 86 of fathers)
• Mothers with incarceration histories face
  significant disadvantage
• Less likely to be married/cohabiting
• Less stably employed
• Earning less

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Maternal Incarceration, Family Instability, and
Child Wellbeing

• Children whose mothers have been incarcerated
• Are less likely to live with both biological
  parents
• Live in households with more material hardship
  and receiving more public assistance
• Move more frequently
• Do not differ significantly on health or
  developmental measures

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Summary of Findings

• Parents with incarceration histories perform
  significantly worse in the labor market.
• Families where a parent has been incarcerated
  face more material hardship and other
  instability.
• However, by age 3, developmental effects are
  small.
• Slight differences in mental health outcomes
• No differences in health or cognitive outcomes.

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Implications for Policy and Practice

• Effects of incarceration on child wellbeing are
  small at age 3, but may grow.
• Health, cognitive, and mental health outcomes are
  better measured as children age
• Cumulative effects of disadvantage and
  instability
• Material hardship and instability suggest the
  need for assistance at the point of incarceration
• Re-evaluating family income to ensure PA
  resources meet new level of need
• Continuity of social services in the case of a
  move