Children of Incarcerated Parents : Integrating Research into Best Practices and Policy

This book presents multidimensional knowledge on children of incarcerated parents using Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory as an organizing framework. It examines the extent to which different levels of the environment are supportive (i.e., leading to resilience) and stress-producing (i.e., contributing to risk). The volume explores four levels of the environment – microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, and macrosystem – with specific theories and paradigms woven into the inquiry at each. At the level of child and family, it discusses the factors that influence resilience and risk in children from gestation through young adulthood; at the community level, it addresses risk and resilience in the interactions between children and families and the various systems with which they interact (e.g., child welfare).  Key areas of coverage include: ·         A description of the factors that influence the quality of programming for children and their families. ·         A critical analysis of state and national policies that affect which individuals receive, or fail to receive, specific services. ·         An overview and evaluation of the state of knowledge and implications for research and practice to improve outcomes for children of incarcerated parents. ·         An organizing framework to help researchers identify gaps in the existing knowledge base and distills and organizes evidence-based information for practitioners.  Children of Incarcerated Parents is an essential resource for researchers, professors, and graduate students as well as practitioners, therapists, and other professionals in child and school psychology, family studies, public health, and all interrelated disciplines, including developmental psychology, criminal justice, social work, educational policy and politics.