Incarceration Hurts Kids Most

by Diane Nilan

categories: Children, Culture of Poverty, Education, Health & Healthcare, Housing, Incarceration & Crime, Race Ethnicity Class & Gender, Women

Published August 21, 2009 @ 05:12AM PT

NYT columnist Nicholas D. Kristof strikes a resounding note of common sense in his "Priority Test: Health Care or Prisons" column,

It’s time for a fundamental re-evaluation of the criminal justice system...so that we’re no longer squandering money that would be far better spent on education or health.

Kristof makes a strong case for education over incarceration, something that resonates common sense, especially considering the devastating effects of poverty, homelessness, incarceration and the like on both parents and the kids of incarcerated parents.

What's behind our nation's infatuation with incarceration? Is it a way to get minorities off our pristine streets? Do the powerful people who push these policies fear people of different skin color, ethnicities, cultures? Do they look at the counter-productive big picture of increasing poverty? OK, maybe I'm being a bit harsh, or maybe not. Let me know.

Kristof describes efforts by Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) who proposes exploring this country's criminalization policies, among the most draconian in the world. Webb observes,

Either we have the most evil people on earth living in the United States, or we are doing something dramatically wrong in terms of how we approach the issue of criminal justice.

When you get down to it, kids suffer the most because of these absurd policies. Looking at women in prison or jail, Amnesty International reports:

The Department of Justice found that women were over represented among low level drug offenders who were non-violent, had minimal or no prior criminal history, and were not principal figures in criminal organizations or activities, but nevertheless received sentences similar to “high level” drug offenders under the mandatory sentencing policies.

Women, often mothers, leave children behind, typically cared for by impoverished grandparents (mothers) or relatives or stuck in foster care. Kids bounce needlessly from school to school, or don't even attend school, while the mother languishes in local lock-up, in pretrial limbo. My organization, HEAR US Inc., did a study of women in Cook County (IL) jail to determine how the mother's incarceration affected children's access to education. The sobering, shameful results--frequent disruption of kids' education--confirmed what I've seen and heard across the country.

Homelessness, a nomadic life especially  for families, rarely leaves them unscarred. A tragic result of frequent moves on children has been documented by Danish researchers who note:

"...youngsters who relocated often are more likely to contemplate and attempt suicide as adolescents..."

Many homeless kids I've met over the years tell of moving several times a year, typically surrounded by high stress factors. Do we really think that subjecting families to incessant poverty will be good for anyone? Is it any wonder our prisons are overcrowded and recidivism rates are high? Are we surprised that homeless students struggle to succeed in school?

Common sense, I'd suggest, has taken a seat in the back of the bus in these supposed enlightened times. A perfect example: School districts complain about the extraordinary cost of busing homeless students, but what about exploring the alternative: work with local agencies or property owners to find housing in the school's attendance area? I'd speculate that this solution could be good for all involved. The Kitsap, WA school folks seem to have used a fair amount of common sense to the good of homeless families in their community.

Seems to me Kristof and I could go on and on making the case for common sense over the insane, poverty-inducing policies that continue to undermine well-being of families, teens and adults across our country. But then, what would we have to complain about?

photos by the author