Avoiding the pathologizing of children of prisoners
| DOI | 10.1177/0264550516660766 |
| Published date | 01 September 2016 |
| Author | Else Marie Knudsen |
| Date | 01 September 2016 |
| Subject Matter | Practice note |
Practice note
Avoiding the
pathologizing of
children of prisoners
Else Marie Knudsen
London School of Economics and Political Science, UK
Abstract
Using the existing empirical literature and making reference to original research with
Canadian children of prisoners, this Practice Note offers a caution to practitioners
against making homogenizing or pathologizing assumptions about children who have
a parent involved in the criminal justice system. Specifically, the notions that children of
prisoners are highly likely to follow their parent to prison, are identical in their
experiences of parental incarceration, or are necessarily in need of a specific coun-
selling intervention are challenged. While children with a parent in prison are vul-
nerable to a variety of risk factors such as poverty, the relationship between parental
incarceration, its covariates, and negative outcomes is complex. This paper concludes
with four recommendations to practitioners working with families of prisoners and
others involved in the justice system.
Keywords
antisocial behaviour, at-risk youth, children of prisoners, intervention strategies,
pathologizing
Introduction
Children of prisoners, until recently ‘invisible’, are increasingly being recognized
and discussed by researchers, charities and practitioners. In 1999, Hagen and
Dinovitzer argued that ‘The impact of the imprisonment of parents on children ...
may be the least understood and most consequential implication of the high reliance
on incarceration in America.’ Any impact on children that results from parental
Corresponding Author:
Else Marie Knudsen, London School of Economics and Political Science, London WC2A 2AE, UK.
Email: e.m.knudsen@lse.ac.uk
The Journal of Community and Criminal Justice
Probation Journal
2016, Vol. 63(3) 362–370
ªThe Author(s) 2016
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DOI: 10.1177/0264550516660766
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