Policy Resolution LJE-15-02

Reconnecting Incarcerated Families
Law, Justice, and Ethics (LJE) Committee

WHEREAS, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics an estimated 809,800 prisoners of the 1,518,535 held in the nation’s prisons at mid-year 2007 were parents of children under age 18;

WHEREAS, a report by the Pew Charitable Trusts found that more than 7 million children in the United States have a parent in prison or jail, with over 2 million of those parents being fathers;

WHEREAS, the average sentence length for fathers was 6 to 7 years among state inmates and 8 to 9 years among federal inmates;

WHEREAS, in 2007, more than 4 in 10 fathers were Black, about 3 in 10 were White, and about 2 in 10 were Latino;

WHEREAS, studies have shown that children who have an incarcerated parent are seven times more likely to end up in prison themselves;

WHEREAS, one out of every three African-American males and one out of every six Latino males born today will end up in prison at some point in his lifetime, according to the Sentencing Project;

WHEREAS, even after controlling for income, youths in father-absent households had significantly higher odds of incarceration than those in mother-father families;

WHEREAS, youths who never had a father in the household experienced the highest incarceration odds;

WHEREAS, according to the Urban Institute, children with incarcerated parents experience the loss of a parent due to a traumatic event, and that trauma diverts a child’s energies from developmental tasks, which then causes emotional survival to begin and take over developmental tasks resulting in delayed development, regression, or other maladaptive coping strategies;

WHEREAS, a 2002 Department of Justice survey of 7,000 inmates revealed that 39 percent of jail inmates lived in mother-only households;

WHEREAS, approximately 46 percent of jail inmates in 2002 had a previously incarcerated family member;

WHEREAS, one-fifth of the inmates had experienced a father in prison or jail;

WHEREAS, numerous programs around the country work to link fathers and their children, and have received funding under Administration for Children and Families and the Department of Justice;

WHEREAS, programs like the Fathers and Children Together (FACT) Program help to reconnect incarcerated fathers back into the lives of their children;

WHEREAS, the goal of these programs is to educate incarcerated men on the responsibilities of fatherhood and to establish positive relationships with their children in an effort to cut off the “cradle-to-prison pipeline”; and

WHEREAS, the safety and well-being of the child is most important and should be given priority in any plan to reunify that child with his or her parents.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the National Caucus of Black State Legislators (NBCSL) supports legislation and initiatives geared toward strengthening family reunification programs for returning citizens as a critical component of breaking the cycle of trauma, violence, and crime, therefore enhancing public safety;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that NBCSL applauds the United States Department of Justice and the Administration on Children and Families for their work to help children connect meaningfully with their fathers and mothers in prison;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that NBCSL supports reauthorization of the Second Chance Act, and urges Congress to increase authorization amounts, provide increased flexibility, and fully fund programs under the Second Chance Act; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States, the Vice President of the United States, members of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate, and other federal and state government officials as appropriate.

  • SPONSOR: Representative Ronald G. Waters (PA)
  • Committee of Jurisdiction: Law, Justice, and Ethics Policy Committee
  • Certified by Committee Chair: Representative Reginald Meeks (KY)
  • Ratified in Plenary Session: Ratification Date is December 12, 2014
  • Ratification is certified by: Representative Joe Armstrong (TN), President