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Family & Corrections Network |
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University of Illinois at Chicago SOCIAL POLICY AND RESEARCH NOTES - March 1996 Creasie Finney Hairston, Ph.D FATHERS IN PRISON AND THEIR CHILDREN VISITING POLICY GUIDELINES Inmate Fathers are Parents too... Frequent visiting between separated fathers and their children is important to the well-being of fathers and children and to the maintenance of parent-child bonds. Family visiting during imprisonment depends, however, not only on individual preferences but also on corrections policy. Although most states indicate that the purpose of visiting is to maintain family relationships, parent-child relationships are rarely addressed in state-level policy directives. State policies governing visiting seldom reflects the special needs of children, the importance of frequent parent-child contact, or the nature of complex family networks. These policy guidelines are provided to strengthen prisoners' family ties and enhance relationships between incarcerated fathers and their children. All have been implemented successfully by some states but none have been universally adopted, Although the focus is fathers, the directives apply to incarcerated mothers as well. Implementation of these policies will enable a state to demonstrate its commitment to the maintenance of prisoner-family relationships and its recognition that inmate fathers are parents too. Visiting Schedules Children and their incarcerated parents should be permitted to have at a minimum, weekly visits. Visiting schedules should be flexible and permit weekday, weekend and evening visits. Prison visiting schedules are restrictive and permit visiting only on certain days at certain times. Schedules seldom take into consideration non-prison work and school schedules resulting in limited access for many families and individuals. Frequent contact between separated parents and children is important in preserving parent-child attachments. Visits provide children and parents ongoing opportunities for sharing memories, creating new experiences, and remaining in touch with each other. Providing a range of times when children may visit enhances the likelihood of frequent visiting. Children's caretakers and other family members are better able to arrange visits when options which do not unduly disrupt their regular schedules are available. Special Visits Opportunities for extended visits (day-long and/or overnight) involving incarcerated fathers, children, and other family members should be provided. Fathers who are in prison have limited contact with their children. Even those who have frequent visits are seldom able to engage in daily experiences that are part of being a family. Parents and children need to have opportunities to spend extended, uninterrupted time together in community-like environments such as the picnic areas, family trailers, and children's centers found at some prisons. Special visits permit parents and children to prepare meals and eat together, play games or sports, and carry out other routine, though meaningful, family activities. They also provide opportunities for families to celebrate special occasions such as Father=s Day, birthdays, and Christmas together. Theses special visits help fathers and children feel connected to each other, share meaningful experiences and special moments, and remain a part of each other's lives. Permission and Escorts Written permission from children's mothers should not be required for children to visit their incarcerated fathers. Persons who are allowed to accompany a child on a visit should include an adult on the prisoner's visiting list or an adult in an official capacity such as the child's social worker. Prison rules often identify a child's custodial parent, an adult who may have little or no interest in the prisoner, as the sole source of approval for a child's visit or as the only adult who may accompany the child on a visit. An estranged spouse may not authorize a child's visit based on her relationship with the prisoner, rather that on the child's needs or interests. A child's custodian may not be opposed to, or may indeed be in favor of, a child's spending time with his or her incarcerated father, but prefer not to visit herself. In these situations, policies which require a custodial parent's approval or presence may result in the child's inability to visit. Prison officials are not in a position to determine what is best for a child, to resolve family disputes, or to monitor complex family relations. A father's inability to spend time with his children should be based on family preference or court order derived from careful study rather than on prison rules. Children's Visiting Areas Child-centered, supervised areas should be established and maintained in all prisons. Toys, books, games, and other activities appropriate for children of different ages should be provided. Corrections visiting policies, generally, place restrictions on social interactions between parents and children during visits. They, in addition, stress discipline and control of children and do not make provisions for child-centered activities. It is not reasonable, however, to expect young children to sit still and remain orderly throughout a prison visit. Even older children become restless and bored when talking is the only activity permitted. The visiting room environment should promote informal, relaxed social interaction between parents and children. Areas where parents and children can play together and where children may participate in supervised activities while adults spend some time in private conversation promote the maintenance of family relationships. Parent Support Services Parent education, parent support groups and family counseling should be made available to prisoners. These services should be provided by social services staff who are professionally prepared in the social and behavioral sciences and who are knowledgeable about family dynamics. Both corrections staff and staff of community agencies are appropriate service providers. The majority of men in prison are fathers. Although most want to be better parents, many have not had adequate preparation for parenting. Others have difficulty in assuming a long distance parenting relationship and in sharing parenting with an individual with whom they may have little influence. Educational programs, parent support groups and family counseling can help fathers better understand and respond to the normal developmental needs of their children and the special problems caused by parental absence. They can assist parents in preparing for visits, in addressing children's and custodial parents' concerns which arise from visits and in dealing with stresses associated with fathers' limited involvement in their children's lives. Family-oriented programs and services are also helpful in preparing men for responsible parental and family roles when they return to their homes. Cultural Diversity Visiting policies, programs and services should reflect awareness of and respect for cultural diversity. Staff and volunteers involved in these programs should reflect the racial make-up of the prison population. African Americans and other minorities constitute the majority, or a substantial number, of the prisoners in many institutions. Since minority lifestyles, family structures, problems and expectations often differ from those of majority culture, different service responses are required to meet the needs of the prison population. The presence of African American and other minority staff and volunteers in decision making and program provider roles increases the likelihood that different cultural perspectives will be represented in policies and programs. The incorporation of minority and family content as an integral component of volunteer orientation and staff training strengthens a correctional system's capacity to provide effective, culturally responsive, programs of high quality. Conscious, deliberate, and concerted efforts are needed to develop and sustain visiting environments and experiences which promote, rather than inhibit, strong, positive family relationships. Administrative Structures Parent-child visiting policies and programs should be a collaborative effort of the prison administration, community professional and prisoners. Formal structures should be established to assure involvement of these different groups. Administrators, social service professional and prisoners, even when sharing a common vision, bring different views and concerns to program development. Recognition of these differences is important to the development of successful program. Policy directives and program guidelines must reflect administrative concerns with security, safety, and order. They should also reflect professional knowledge about way to promote and nurture positive parent-child relationships and prisoners' concerns about their own parenting and family roles and needs. Prisoner involvement is also important in creating a sense of pride and ownership among those served by the program. This type of involvement affects both participation and the desire to protect the integrity of the program. Policy advisory groups, project task forces, and joint staffing are among the approaches used to effect collaborative planning and program implementation. These guidelines were developed by Creasie Finney Hairston, Ph.D. and are based on studies of prison policies and family oriented programs. The views are those of the author. Jane Addams Center for Social Policy and Research ~
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