Families of Prisoners Week Five

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St. Clair College *

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PSW209

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Sociology

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Feb 20, 2024

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Families of Prisoners CRIM 2619H 2024 WINTER SEM Week Five Notes  Module 5: Prisoner’s Families, Public Opinion, and the State o Overview: The Upside-Down World of Prisoner’s Families:  Coined by Scharff Smith in Reading #1  Describes inattention to prisoners' families within the legal system.  Families face challenges in maintaining contact with their loved ones  Some family members, especially children and youth, may develop animosity toward society due to these challenges  Historically overlooked in criminal justice scholarship, including literature  Changing Visibility: Grassroots organizations, media like Sesame Street, and emerging scholarship are improving the social visibility of prisoners' families.  Despite increased visibility, prisoners' families continue to be excluded from criminal justice policy  Criminalization Variety: People can be criminalized for various actions, not just traditional crimes like drug offenses, assault, or murder. Includes political protest and dissent as reasons for criminalization  Case Study: Dr. Wang Bingzhang’s Family  Dr. Wang Bingzhang imprisoned for political dissent.  'Prisoner of Conscience': Described by his daughter using this term.  Illustrates that criminalization is not limited to conventional crimes but extends to dissent and political activities. o Learning Objectives  Examine criminal justice as a state-based institution.  Examine the inattention to children of prisoners throughout the criminal justice system.  Examine how politicians claim to refer to an informed public sense of justice when in reality, prisoners’ families are neglected, and the children oftentimes develop animosity toward society.  Examine a clear example of antagonism between prisoners’ children and the state by looking at the story of a political prisoner and the efforts his children have made for him to be freed.

o Lecture Video and Reading: Scharff Smith, P. (2018) Chapter 8: Prisoners’ Families, Public Opinion, and the State: Punishment and Society from a Family and Human Rights Perspective , Prisons, Punishment, and the Family: Towards a New Sociology of Punishment?  The UN has identified children of prisoners as one of the most vulnerable groups in the world  Durkheim  Schariff Smith uses Durkheim’s functionalist approach as a starting point. It’s not considered a critical theory  In Durkheim’s view, the essence of punishment is irrational, unthinking emotion fixed by a sense of the scared and its violation  Durkheim very much sees a consensus in society around what is right and what is wrong, where the moral boundaries are.  He thinks a little bit of law breaking is okay because who step outside of the moral boundaries, help to identify where those boundaries are to others.  Durkheim argued the essential character of penal institutions is to function as a routinized expression of emotion, but that punishment is the opposite of that.  To illustrate this, we look at the upside-down world of prisoner’s families. – the inattention they experience despite the attention to their incarcerated family members. This can lead to animosity towards the state.  The Upside-Down World  Even within the sociology of punishment and the critiques of punishment as an institution, prisoners’ families have typically been overlooked.  Statements that refer to the public sentiment on justice often overlook the viewpoints of the families of prisoners.  Politicians are basically referring to an uninformed public sense of justice, rather than an informed one  The current way that punishment is carried out neglects the needs of family members  The best interests of the child should be a primary consideration.  Children of Prisoners in Policy  Vicki Saunders and Morag MacArthur ask how children with incarcerated parents are framed or discussed and responded to by the systems that surround them. The find there are four constructions: o As appendages of parents (MOST OFTEN SEEN THIS WAY) o As at risk o As rights holders (with separate needs and wants than their parents) o As future adults  These kids collide with the following systems:

o Adult criminal justice – disregarded and unsupported throughout o Child protection – system fails to understand their needs o Education – They feel too much shame to tell their teachers about their incarcerated parent(s), and they experience distress and extra responsibilities o Housing – older kids have to navigate the system on their own, and often stay with friends, partners, or in shelters. o Income support – imprisonment impacts families finances  What is needed?  “It is only when children are seen in a more holistic way that systems can respond more collaboratively to effectively support children” (Saunders and McArthur 2020, 128)  Informed public sentiment is needed o Milder, more balanced view on punishment – no more “tough on crime” o Most Canadians prefer to invest in non-custodial sanctions or prevention rather than to invest in more prisons ( for adults and youth) o The public seems to prefer that their political leaders and their judges would look for sensible ways of using resources which also ensure that adults and youth are held accountable for what they have done. o “There is a clear need for public policy to move away from simple rhetoric of ‘harsh’ or ‘soft’ in sentencing to debate about what is intelligent and fair” (amended abstract)  A human rights approach (Scharff Smith 2018, 131-132) o Needed in 3 main areas: 1. The arrest of parents: (needs at the time or arrest)  How the child is treated/how they experience the arrest  Are the children being informed about what the arrest and subsequent separation will entail  Social; authorities involved in order to assess the children’s situation 2. Sentencing (needs at time of sentencing)  Length of prison time/regime/choosing alternatives to prison, etc. 3. During imprisonment (considerations during this time)  Financial respect for remaining family members  How direct/indirect contact is maintained  Choice of prison  Living situation for best interest of the child o Why a human rights approach?  It can be an analytical tool for assessing weak spots within the system

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 Can be a means of shining light into dark places, where families of prisoners have been forgotten neglected and marginalized  Wish You Were Here by Antwuan Garcia: Recounts his father's struggle to make a living, which led to arrests and strained family bonds. Despite the father's absence, Antwuan treasures childhood memories and keeps letters from prison. Over time, resentment grows, but upon the father's release, a hesitant reunion brings mixed emotions. As they spend time together, the narrator learns to forgive, using pain as a tool for personal growth. The story explores the complexities of family dynamics, forgiveness, and resilience. o Video: Sesame Street in Communities (June 12, 2013) Sesame Street: Little Children, Big Challenges: Incarceration -- Sizzle Reel [video clip]. (2:44)  Real families with young children share their own experiences with parental incarceration, and an animation shows a family's trip to visit a parent in prison  The song in this video, You’re Not Alone , offers a very important message for families of prisoners to hear, especially children. When we consider the number of children who are targeted by this message, it’s heartbreaking.  The video aims to de-stigmatize the experience of having an incarcerated family member. It also centres the experiences of children who have an incarcerated parent, which is in keeping with best practices. o Reading: Saunders, V. and M. McArthur (2020) Representing Children of Prisoners in the Public Domain: Comparing Children’s Views and Policy Documents , Australian Social Work, 73(1) , 118–130.  This research study is situated in Australia, where the incarceration rate is rising. The researchers provide: “Despite the available research describing the negative impact of parental incarceration on children, it has been argued that these children remain virtually invisible to policy makers and social programs.”  Aim : The researchers examine how children with incarcerated parents are constructed and responded to by the systems that surround the children.  Literature includes ways in which children can be constructed in policy and how children collide with other systems  It is clear the criminal justice system does not see itself as responsible for the children of prisoners. Between the individualistic approach of criminalization and retributive ‘tough on crime’ discourses , the needs of children are generally invisible.  When they are seen, it is most often as an appendage of their parents. For example, if a child is housed with their parent in prison so that the parent can care for them and remain connected, the status of the child changes to being ‘at-risk’.

o Reading: Documentary captures Montreal family's fight for patriarch imprisoned in China: https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/montreal- family-continues-fight-for-imprisoned-patriarch and Videos: Who is Dr. Wang Bingzhang – One of China’s numerous political prisoners? and Challenging China: A Father’s Dream and A Daughters Destiny: Ti-Anna Wang TEDxToronto  The children (who are adults now) do not enjoy public speaking or the spotlight, but they are required to do this in order to keep pressuring the Chinese government to release their father. They also question what actions are most appropriate given they have never felt close to him.  Their advocacy work to have their father released requires a lot of emotional effort and time. The family members also feel guilty – they feel this because they are free and able to have fun, and because they have been unsuccessful in having him released.  The family questions what the most effective thing is to do, and this is emotionally and psychologically difficult for them. The one thing they know they can do for their father/husband is to reassure him that they have not forgotten about him and that they still care. o Quiz 1. According to Scharff Smith, how might the rights of prisoners’ children be upheld during imprisonment? - Respectful considerations of how direct and regular contact is maintained between the imprisoned parent and their child/children - Respectful considerations of how the remaining family members and children are assured in a financial respect - Respectful considerations of where the parent is located 2. Given their experiences of social exclusion and sometimes being met with hostility, according to Scharff Smith, how do prisoners’ families often feel toward society? - They can develop animosity towards society 3. What important message was Sesame Street in the Community providing for children with an incarcerated parent? - That they are not alone 4. According to Saunders and McArthur (Reading #2), which of the following best explains why children of prisoners are generally invisible in criminal justice policy and the criminal justice system does not see itself as responsible for their well-being? - These children are ‘invisible’ because of the individualistic approach of criminalization and retributive ‘tough on crime’ discourses. 5. According to Saunders and McArthur (Reading #2), when children with incarcerated parents are seen in the criminal justice system, how are they typically viewed? - When they are seen, it is most often as appendages of their parents

Discussion:  In this module, we watched a video clip by Sesame Street on caring for children with incarcerated parents. Here’s another video clip by them: Sesame Street: Little Children, Big Challenges: Incarceration - Caregiver Advice: Thomas . How might this type of programming benefit children with parents who are incarcerated? Shows like Sesame Street create programming for kids that deal with difficult real-life situations. They offer support that may be crucial to addressing their needs in an age- appropriate way, and provide them with a sense of acceptance and community. These programs normalize difficult circumstances that marginalized groups of children experience. By portraying fictional characters and other children in similar situations, children may feel less isolated and stigmatized. Characters in these shows often express and label emotions that give a child the ability to communicate with a vocabulary they might not have had previously. These characters then [usually] provide coping strategies and tools for regulating those emotions. These types of programs are also educational for children who may never experience familial incarceration. They can help kids understand why someone might be in a prison and what prison is like. This education can lead to a reduction of any fear or stigma that a child might experience regarding incarceration or peers with incarcerated family members. Lastly, these programs can aid in creating or maintaining family connections and encouraging positive communication within these relationships by: Teaching children about the different ways they can connect with their incarcerated parent(s) i.e., letters, phone calls, visitations, etc.; emphasizing the importance of maintaining those relationships; providing national or local resources available to those children and their family; and demonstrating what those situations can look like from one family to the next. Poehlmann-Tynan, J., Cuthrell, H., Weymouth, L., Burnson, C., Frerks, L., Muentner, L., Holder, N., Milavetz, Z., Lauter, L., Hindt, L., Davis, L., Schubert, E., & Shlafer, R. (2021). Multisite randomized efficacy trial of educational materials for young children with incarcerated parents. Development and psychopathology , 33 (1), 323–339. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579419001792 Incarceration (2023) Sesame Workshop . Available at: https://sesameworkshop.org/topics/incarceration/ (Accessed: 07 February 2024).

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