Impacts of Parent-Child Relationships on Incarcerated Veterans’ use of Prison Services while Incarcerated

• In Event: Lightning Talk: Women, Parenting, Families, & Criminal Justice

Abstract

A growing amount of research investigating the benefits of contact and connectivity between families and incarcerated individuals have found a relationship between increased visitation and reductions in depressive symptoms and rule-breaking behavior, and increases in family connectedness. Importantly these positive outcomes are conducive with a higher likelihood of desisting from crime. Previous literature has focused on incarcerated populations as a whole, but has failed to the raltionship these variables have with investigate incarcerated veterans; furthermore, research has failed to compare and contrast incarcerated veterans to incarcerated civilians. According to the Department of Justice, in 2016 over 100,000 veterans were serving time in federal and state prisons, encompassing roughly 7% of the total incarcerated population at that time. Therefore, this study seeks to understand how contact with family; specifically, children impacts the use of prison services, which have shown to improve desistance rates. This research has implications for criminal justice reform measures and reentry services for justice involved veterans; furthermore, this assessment provides an overview and evaluation of what literature exists and what is needed.

Authors

• Taylor Tolles, Bowling Green State University

• Theresa Lee, Bowling Green State University