How Do Incarcerated Parents Explain the Criminal Justice System to Their Children?: Narratives of Parental Identity, Individual Autonomy, and Structural Inequality

In the age of mass incarceration, over five million children have experienced parental incarceration. Children with incarcerated parents are more likely to experience criminal justice system contact, educational difficulties, and behavioral problems, among other challenges. Using in-depth interview data from a pilot study on enhancing contact between incarcerated parents and their children (ages 3-12), I examine how incarcerated parents understand and teach their children about their incarceration. I find that the majority of parents understand their criminal justice system involvement and their incarceration as a result of structural factors and systemic inequity, such as poverty, addiction, and childhood difficulties in school. However, parents pivot to share a more hopeful narrative to their children. I find that most incarcerated parents represent their incarceration to encourage pro-social activities, such as focusing on school, and to discourage bad behavior, such as talking back or stealing. These parents downplay the structural inequalities in the criminal justice system and compare it to a timeout to reassure their children. However, several parents report that their children witnessed their arrest and fear law enforcement, and, for these children, morality tales about the justice system are unconvincing. Yet even when they are unconvincing, incarcerated parents attempt to shelter and protect their children from the criminal justice system. These narratives demonstrate their investment in their identities as parents and goals of actively raising their children. This study has implications for both incarcerated parents and their children and emphasizes the importance of support and programming for families impacted by incarceration.