The Stigma of Parental Incarceration

• In Event: 434 - Section on Children and Youth Roundtable Session (one-hour).
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 03. Vulnerable and At-Risk Youth

Abstract

Stigmatization is frequently identified as a key factor that sets parental incarceration apart from other types of parent-child separation, but there is little empirical research documenting variation in perceptions of stigma or its effect on children of incarcerated parents. This study uses interviews with 20 children of incarcerated parents to examine the stigma of parental incarceration, and suggests that stigmatization has a detaining influence on education for some children through the social withdrawal and isolation it fosters. Additionally, it is found that there is a great deal of variation in the degree to which children of incarcerated parents perceive stigma, and that individuals who are more acutely aware of their stigmatized status are more prone to its negative effects.

Author

• Emily Sue Knaphus, University of Washington