Media Release

July 13, 2005

Community Seminar Covers Issues Surrounding Children of Incarcerated Parents

Portland, Or.—The Children’s Justice Alliance, in partnership with the Criminal Justice Policy Research Institute at Portland State University, will present a day and a half workshop for Marion, Benton and Malheur County communities entitled “And How Are the Children? A Community Approach to Prioritizing, Protecting and Parenting Children.”

This interactive training is designed to help communities build a better base of understanding and awareness about the impact of parental incarceration on child development, family dynamics and the parent-child relationship. The curriculum is designed to provide an opportunity for respective disciplines to examine their own policies, procedures and practices in relation to the children of incarcerated parents.

The audiences targeted for this curriculum are multidisciplinary teams consisting of criminal justice officials and community leaders, which may include but are not limited to, law enforcement, judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys, community corrections, educators, corrections, child welfare, early childhood education, community based organizations, parents re-entering from prison and others who are genuinely interested in improving outcomes for children of incarcerated and other justice-involved parents.

The goals of the training session include:

• Providing an active learning experience focusing on the unique challenges and dynamics of this population of children.
• Providing current information on national trends.
• Providing information on child development, family dynamics, and parent-child relationships.
• Providing information on best and promising practices as they relate to dealing with these children and their parents.
• Creating a training atmosphere that fosters open exchange and exploration among participants.
• Role clarification and team development.
• Development of a community team action plan

The presentation will also include a youth panel from the community who will help the assembled participants more fully understand the issues faced by the children of incarcerated parents.

Claudia Black, MPA, Executive Director of the Children’s Justice Alliance and Associate Director of the Criminal Justice Policy Research Institute, along with Bridgett Jones, MA, JD, Research Associate at the Criminal Policy Research Institute at Portland State University, will facilitate the training. Black says, “It is our hope that the curriculum encourages continued development and refinement of community responses to children of incarcerated parents.” 

For general information about the “And How Are the Children?” training or the Children’s Justice Alliance, contact Claudia Black, Executive Director, Children’s Justice Alliance, 503-789-3162 or visit www.childrensjusticealliance.org.

The training agenda is available as a PDF download (30 KB) at www.childrensjusticealliance.org/andhow_agenda.pdf

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