Corrections_Today_July-August_2022_Vol.84_No.4

nEWS&vIEWS

Correctional Chaplain Perspectives

Angel Tree evolves Engaging incarcerated parents and their children By Jennifer Lowrey

Introduction T he impact of correctional chaplains on individuals and prison culture extends far beyond the fostering of spiritual growth and positive life change. As correctional chaplains help parents behind bars stay connected with their children, their influence becomes greater. An estimated 1.5 million minor children currently have an incarcerated parent, and more than five million children in the U.S. have experienced the incarceration of a parent. 1,2 Maintaining parental contact is difficult because most in carcerated parents are held more than 100 miles from where their children live. 3 With exceptions for those who are incarcerated because of crimes against the child or caregiver, it is overwhelmingly positive for both the parent and the child to be in contact. There are many reasons to nurture the parent-child relationship within a corrections context. Separation from children compounds the trauma of incarceration, particularly when the parent was in the home with their children at the time of their arrest. This can be especially true

important in their children’s lives. Others have very real concerns they will lose their parental rights. These fears are worsened by lack of contact with their children and can hamper successful reentry. According to author Nell Bernstein, “Prison visits matter. Children and parents will tell you again and again how important it is that they see each other, and research backs them up. Consistent, ongoing contact reduces the strain of

for mothers behind bars. More than 80% of the two million women booked into jails in the U.S. each year are mothers. In 2022, nearly 150,000 women spent Mother’s Day separated from their children. 4 The heightened anxiety from this separation can result in depression, acting out or aggression within the prison setting. Many incarcerated parents fear losing their identity as parents or believe they are no longer

Photo courtesy Prison Fellowship

8 — July/August 2022 Corrections Today