Womens Prisons and the Issue of Overnight Childhood Visitation - Report Example

Section/# Women’s Prisons in Florida and the Issue of Overnight Childhood Visitation/Full Time Residence: A Policy Recommendation Executive Summary: This report will review the research based upon cause and effect of allowing overnight visitation and potential residence between children and mothers that are incarcerated. It is the hope of this author that such a policy analysis will assist the State of Floridas criminal justice systems in formulating the right policies that will aid in reducing children crime rate and enhance the impact of correctional facility programs on child criminals. Introduction: As a function of seeking to reduce the rates of recidivism, correctional facilities around the nation have begun to consider alternative approaches with respect to how they punish those individuals that are housed within their walls. As can legitimately be noted, one simplistic approach is not sufficient towards addressing all issues related to recidivism and the way in which individuals are reintegrated into society. For purposes of this brief analysis, the author will consider the question of whether or not mothers should be allowed to have overnight visits at the correctional facility or to reside there with their mothers. Naturally, these questions are ones that pose a strong financial element due to the fact that catering to the needs of children within a correctional institution would incur a sizable he larger financial burden on the system. However, aside from this financial and logistical situation, this policy brief will engage the reader with a level of analysis that is based solely upon the positive benefit and/or potential drawbacks that such a situation might affect. Accordingly, it is the hope of this author that the reader will gain a more informed and actionable understanding with respect to whether or not this particular issue should be dismissed or considered to a greater degree within the Florida criminal justice system. The analysis will conduct a discussion based upon the existence/success of related conjugal visits and other states, overall rate of reduced recidivism, reductions in juvenile offenses, and the psychological analysis with respect to the need for family and a support system after a prison sentence has been served. Pre-Existing Policies: Firstly, up until the past several decades, many states allowed for conjugal visits between husbands and wives. Although this particular practice has been largely forgotten in the recent past, many scholars argued that it should be brought back as a means of encouraging a level of connection to the outside world and decreasing overall rates of recidivism among prisoners. Research by Ferrera et al. (2007) denotes the fact that individual prisoners that have a strong need to return to society and are able to maintain this connection are far less likely to commit additional offenses once they are out of prison. The underlying rationale behind this is connected to the fact that conjugal visits allow for prisoners to maintain a semblance of family life and normality so that when their term is completed they can return to this without requiring a complete reintegration with society (Gage, 2008). The failure with respect to the current system in many states has to do with the fact that a prison sentence is effectively long enough to break familial and sociological bond that existed within the life of the prisoner prior to conviction. As a function of this, rates of recidivism are drastically increased due to the fact that no support system is effectively noted within the life of the prisoner once they are released. Naturally, the relation that conjugal visits have with respect to children being able to stay overnight or even reside correctional facilities within Florida has to do with the very same elements of social and familial connection that is established within the life of the prisoner. For instance, a mother that is sentenced to a sufficiently long prison term will begin to lose touch with their family and children (Ferrara et al., 2007). Naturally, this process is one that sees the prisoner removed further and further from society and further from those elements within their life that could otherwise helped to promote healthy behavior and engage the prisoner with a need towards normalcy within their daily lives once their prison term has completed. With the overall success of conjugal visits, as has been denoted above, is highly related and potentially synonymous with the overall potential for weekend and/or full-time residence at a correctional institution to be successful (Goshin et al., 2014). The obvious reason for this has to do with the fact that all parents is much more likely to continue involvement and seek to better their own welfare, as well as the welfare of their child, when they maintain a close and lasting relationship even during times of hardship. Additionally, many psychologists have noted that the ability of a parent, specifically a mother, to look after the welfare of their child in addition to their own welfare is a psychologically powerful mechanism that forges an even closer and lasting relationship between parent and child. Although this is of course not always the case, the potential to reduce recidivism and the potential to strengthen familial relations within the community of offenders is a potential that stakeholders within the realm of criminal justice should not ignore. Likewise, a secondary issue pertaining to the need to engage the Florida correctional facilities with overnight visits and/or full-time residence on the part of children is contingent upon the fact that criminal justice professionals and scholars have noted a marked decrease in the overall rate of recidivism that is reflected in pilot studies that have been performed throughout the nation. For instance, one pilot study in New York denoted the fact that traditional rates of recidivism with respect to incarcerated women was approximately 74% (Genty, 2013). Comparatively, another study within California illustrated that rates of recidivism were in excess of 65% (Parker et al., 2014). Regardless of the differential that is noted between these two studies, a powerful and important dynamic is that more than 50% of women that are incarcerated for crimes within both of these states, and likely throughout the United States, will once again be convicted of a criminal offense and imprisoned at some point in their life; potentially multiple times. Naturally, high rates of recidivism placed an inordinate level of strain upon the system and available resources. In addition to dealing with new criminals, and ever-growing criminal justice system faces a crisis with respect to high rates of recidivism and the difficulty in decreasing these. As such, stakeholders throughout sociological and criminological studies have focused a high level of emphasis with respect to seeking to decreased rates of recidivism and by extension positively impact on society at large. Yet another reason for why overnight/weekend visits and/or full-time residence at women’s correctional facilities by children should be considered has to do with the relationship that incarcerated parents, specifically mothers, have concerning criminal behavior that is exhibited by their children. Criminologists have long analyzed the relationship between imprisoned parents and/or loved ones and an increased likelihood that a young person/child will follow in similar footsteps (Brinchann, 2009). Although this relationship is not assured, there as a statistically higher chance that the child of an imprisoned parents will themselves turn to crime either as a function of accumulation or as a function of providing for basic needs that an imprisoned parent is not able to provide them. Because of this, the reader can adequately note that in the way at all in which society can maximize the level of interaction and involvement that the parent as with the child will indirectly positively impact upon the degree to which the child is protected from behaving in a similar manner to the parent and/or choosing a life of crime. One of the reasons for this has to do with the fact that weekend visits and/or full-time residence has the potential to represent prison life in its austerity, hardship, and overall level of difficulty. Accordingly, a child that has a parent in prison what is removed from this reality might somewhat glorify a life of crime and minimize the negative impacts that prison upon one’s personal life. The rationale behind this has to do with the fact that child might assume that since their mother or father is surviving prison life relatively well then they should not be fearful of the ramifications of prison might have with them (Eloff & Moen, 2013). However, by allowing overnight visits for full-time residence, the child/children is represented with prison life as it truly is. Naturally, accommodations must be made so that the children that experience this will not be overly traumatized and will not be exposed to potential predators or violent individuals within the prison system. Because of these considerations, it is necessary for policy makers to understand that allowing overnight visits or full-time residence is not a decision that can be made without any level of investment or analysis with respect to the best needs of non-criminals. Separate branches, residences, and services must be provided in the event that the Florida correctional system determines that the best benefits of society could be maximized by allowing these special accommodations. Policy Research: Thus far, the analysis has focused mainly upon the benefits to the individual prisoner, the benefits to the child, and the benefits to broader society. However, the fact of the matter is that the issue that has thus far been represented exists on much more micro scale. Ultimately, is in the best interests of society to perform two distinct functions with respect to imprisonment. The first of these is with regard protecting society from certain individuals that it committed crimes. The second is with respect to seeking to rehabilitate the prisoner and facilitate their reentry into society. Accordingly, in order to understand the overall benefit that overnight visits or full-time residence by children of female prisoners at a special institution have, one must consider both of these core functions of imprisonment and measure this particular tactic against them. Firstly, with respect to the issue of protecting society against individuals that have participated in a certain type of crime, it will be the responsibility of the criminal justice system to create categories by which judgment can be had according to whether or not it is in the best interests of both the prisoner and the child to have a greater level of interaction. Naturally, cases involving sexual predators, those involving violence, and those that involve negligence would obviously not benefit from an increased level of interaction between parent and child while they are incarcerated. However, it is also true that for a great litany of crimes, no desire to harm or negative intention was engaged towards the child. Secondly, it is also necessary for individuals who wish to consider this particular point of view to analyze the rehabilitative qualities that prison purports to engage. Recommendations: In the past several decades, and increased focus has been placed on the need for prisons to provide training, education, and psychological counseling so that a prisoner is less likely to engage in a particular form of behavior that encourage them to crime. Additionally, these programs are strongly beneficial with providing prisoners a set of marketable skills that they can use once they are released from prison. Within the same line of reasoning, it is logical to assume that integration with society will become more effective within a situation in which engagement between the parent and the child is affected on a more common basis. Within this secondary role that prisons are supposed to provide, the reader can quickly understand that providing for overnight visits or full-time residence on the part of children of prisoners is not getting it from the underlying goal that prison is supposed to affect. Essentially, if this particular approach is capable of maximizing the welfare of all stakeholders involved, it should be engaged irrespective of potential cost as it is likely the benefits to society and the individual loud way to the long-term. Conclusion: As can be seen from the preceding analysis, it is clear and apparent that allowing for overnight visits or full-time residence on the part of children of certain prisoners is likely to be highly beneficial and experience extraordinarily high level of success. As with any policy recommendation, costs should be analyzed and logistics of engaging in this particular approach should be thoroughly studied prior to it being affected. Although the benefits that have been underlined within the preceding research are clear and apparent, and ineffective level of implementation or a hasty disregard for potential externalities quickly result in a situation in which all of the benefits could be raised and the entire program to become an abysmal failure. References Brinchann, B. S. (2009). WHEN THE HOME BECOMES A PRISON: Visitation and Residence in Prisons.  Ethics and Criminology,6(2), 137-143. Gage, B. (2008). The Kids Get Pain. Nation, 260(7), 237. Eloff, I. I., & Moen, M. M. (2013). An analysis of mother-child interaction patterns in prison. Early Child Development & Care, 173(6), 711-720. doi:10.1080/0300443032000103070 Ferrara, P., Gatto, A., Nicoletti, A., Emmanuele, V., Fasano, A., & Currò, V. (2009). Sociological Impacts of Children living with their mother in prison compared with the general population.  Journal Of Sociology, 37(3), 265-272. doi:10.1177/1403494808101839 Ferrara, P. P., Emmanuele, V. V., Nicoletti, A. A., Mashangelo, A. A., Marrone, G. G., & Peclote, G. G. (2007). Mothers with their babies in prison.  Criminology Review, 92(2), 182. doi:10.1136/adc.2006.099937 Genty, P. M. (2013). Taking Stock and Moving Forward to Improve Prison Visitation Practices: A Response to Prison Visitation Policies: A Fifty-State Survey. Yale Law & Policy Review, 32(1), 211-216. Goshin, L. S., Byrne, M. W., & Blanchard-Lewis, B. (2014). Children Who Lived as Infants in a Prison Nursery. Prison Journal, 94(2), 139-158. doi:10.1177/0032885514524692 Parker, A., Meek, R., & Lewis, G. (2014). Serving Time with Parents: A Study on Impact.Journal Of Youth Studies, 17(3), 381-396. doi:10.1080/13676261.2013.830699 Read More