This report from the US explores the impact that parental arrest can have on children, particularly with regards to the long-term trauma this can cause. The report states that children whose mother is arrested (and subsequently imprisoned) are more likely to suffer than those whose father is arrested.
In Ohio, it was found that four out of ten boys aged between 14-17 years, whose mother had been imprisoned, had themselves been arrested. The report continues to highlight the 'Chronic Trauma' which is caused by witnessing a parent's arrest, which derives from fear and mistreatment by authority figures. Harm And Phillips state that police behaviour is critical when it comes to minimising the impact parental arrest has on children. The final part of this report makes seven recommendations about how multi-agency and 'inter-system' work between children's services and Criminal Justice System agencies can help to decrease the trauma of parental arrest, in particular of Mothers, for children. This includes better and more honest communications between offenders and prisons, better support for caregivers and an efficient resettlement process for Mothers and their children upon release from prison.
See Helping Children Cope below:
