Can You Stop the Ripple Effect? The Impact of Imprisoning Fathers of the First Peoples of Australia

• In Event: Invisible Ties: Exploring Fatherhood and Criminal Justice

Abstract

For First Peoples in Australia, 1 in 4 males have been imprisoned before their 25th birthday. This level of mass incarceration has a ripple effect extending from the individual to their family, their community, and the wider society. Numerous individual and ecological variables influence how families respond to parental incarceration. First Peoples families have unique cultural, social, political, and historical contexts that need to be understood and addressed if service providers want to deliver appropriate support. Theory driven evaluations can not only contribute to the ongoing improvement of a program, but can also increase our understanding of parental incarceration. In this presentation, I will discuss the findings from a realist evaluation of Belonging to Family; a program established in 2011 to support First Peoples families with a parent inside in New South Wales. For data collection, I focused my analysis on how the program worked, drawing together documents, observational data, and interviews with participants and stakeholders. This paper concentrates on the experience of incarcerated fathers and the carer/s of their children, demonstrating how context impacts on how the program worked and also altered the desired outcomes of the program. I will discuss how these findings impact policies, programs, and practices.

Authors

• Krystal Lockwood, Griffith University

• Troy Allard, Griffith University

• Lisa Broidy, The University of New Mexico

• Susan Dennison, Griffith University

• Anna Stewart, Griffith University

• Nick Tilley, University College London