Children,Poverty, Resilience and Criminal Justice

1. Children,Poverty, Resilience and Criminal Justice Helen Codd Reader in Law and Criminal Justice, Lancashire Law School

2. Children, Poverty, Resilience and Criminal Justice • Children as victims of crime • Children as offenders • Children with imprisoned family members, including mothers, fathers and siblings • Children may be in all these categories: imprisonment of a family member is often ‘one more thing’ which goes along with poverty, social exclusion and family issues

3. Researching Resilience • Resilience as protecting children from becoming offenders especially if their family members are involved in crime • Resilience in relation to familial imprisonment • The persistent ‘invisibility’ of imprisonment

4. Children of Prisoners • 200,000 children per year affected by imprisonment of a parent (more than those affected by divorce) • Children can be affected by the imprisonment of other family members, including siblings

5. Imprisoned mothers • 17,000 children per year separated from their mothers (estimated) • Mothers are often held long distances away from their children (and further away than male prisoners)

6. Impacts of Imprisonment • Can benefit children if it leads to increased stability/respite • Financial • Changes in residence and/or caregivers • Emotional and behavioural problems • Difficulties at school • Problems of not knowing the truth • Stigma/victimisation/fear

7. Researching Resilience Growing UK research interest in protective factors present in children of prisoners themselves and their environment, and in possible interventions to build resilience

8. UK Research • Professor Janet Walker (et.al.) – Newcastle University- ‘Pathways Into and Out of Crime: Risk, Resilience and Diversity’ (led to several published reports): one study within this focused on risk, protection and resilience in the family life of children and young people with a parent in prison. • -identified importance of kin and friendship networks in helping children cope

9. The COPING Project • January 2009-December 2012 • Consortium of partners (including research institutions and NGO’s) in six EU countries researched the impact on mental health, well-being and resilience of children with imprisoned parents (funded under EU 7th Framework Programme). UK work was based at Huddersfield University. • Child-centred: it aimed to gather information from the perspectives of children themselves and used methods that facilitated the active engagement of children and young people

10. COPING Project findings • Found many pathways by which parental imprisonment may affect a child’s wellbeing • Children with imprisoned parents as a group are at a significantly greater risk of suffering mental health difficulties than children who do not have parents in prison • Identified key factors relating to children’s resilience including children’s innate qualities; the importance of stability provided by caregiving parents, and the importance of sustaining and maintaining relationships with the imprisoned parent

11. COPING project findings … • Children’s resilience is closely linked to open communication systems and children need opportunities to discuss their experiences throughout the period of imprisonment • Schools can play a key role in contributing to the emotional well-being of children of prisoners

12. Conclusions- Children, Poverty, Resilience and Criminal Justice • Relevance to West Cumbria? • Children growing up experiencing poverty and social exclusion may also be experiencing parental involvement in crime, criminal justice and imprisonment • Imprisonment in the family is often ‘the elephant in the room’ when we talk about children growing up with poverty and social exclusion • Children in areas with high levels of social exclusion may experience imprisonment within their home community, kin and friendship networks • Schools can play a key role in building resilience • Need for grass-roots, child-centred research

13. Questions? Any questions?