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Council of State Governments

December 11, 2009
by CJA Admin

Attention Being Focused on the Issues of Children of Incarcerated Parents

In late October the Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center announced the release of Children of Incarcerated Parents: An Action Plan for Federal Policymakers.

As the release stated,

 “The plan outlines promising practices and 70-plus recommendations for improving outcomes for the more than 1.7 million children of incarcerated parents.

‘When parents are incarcerated, the impact on their children can be devastating,’ said advisory board co-chair and Michigan State Senator Alan Cropsey. ‘There is so much we can do—from arrest to reentry—that can reduce the trauma for children and help ensure that their needs, and those of their caregivers, are being met. At last, that information is captured in this plan. 

Among the federal action plan’s recommendations are those that urge policymakers to

  • create federal interagency task forces and develop cross-system collaborations that address the risk factors of children of incarcerated parents and better link them to services;
  • support new policies and practices in the criminal justice system that address trauma associated with a parent’s arrest and their incarceration, which is often many miles from where a child is living;
  • encourage measures that facilitate visitation when in the best interests of the child and promote permanence that takes into account siblings and other important relationships;
  • address federal and state measures that make it more difficult for caregivers to obtain benefits and support for these children.

‘Corrections, child welfare, and other agencies that encounter children of incarcerated parents can better coordinate their efforts to provide the care and services they need,’ said advisory board co-chair Robin Arnold-Williams, Director, Executive Policy Office of Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire. ‘The Justice Center partnered with leaders in the field to ensure the action plan guides policymakers on the best strategies to ensure that these children are safe and secure. It is one of the most comprehensive summaries of key policy changes needed for this vulnerable population.’”

Copies of the plan can be downloaded for free at

http://www.reentrypolicy.org/jc_publications/federa_action_plan_?version_id=55173&return_url=/admin/jc_publications/36506%3Fversion_id=55173.

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