National studies that children of incarcerated parents suffer emotionally and psychologically when separated from their parents. Normal development is disrupted by the loss of a parent and as a result, these children often develop poor social and academic skills and are at a higher risk than their peers for juvenile delinquency, depression, drug abuse and these children are 5 to 6 times more likely than their peers to someday be incarcerated.

Since leaving her position as a residential drug program treatment specialist with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Rosetta Oliver has dedicated her life to developing programs that will help to improve parent-child relationships while parents are involved in the criminal justice system. To accomplish this she has identified the stages that a parent and child go through starting with the arrest, incarceration period and reintegration. Her goal is to create effective programs that increase the health of the parent-child relationship throughout the parent’s involvement in the criminal justice system.

Oliver says, “It is important to address the child’s feeling and to look at the various stages children cope with when a parent is incarcerated.” She emphasizes the importance of building a relationship between the child and the incarcerated parent.

Historically, the courts have not taken into account the effect of the parent’s incarceration on their children. Few programs exist that consider a defendant’s parental status as a factor in sentencing. Yet, as the number of parents who are being incarcerated increases, so does the need to address the impact on their children.

Oliver is concerned that most jails and prisons were not designed to be child-friendly or to take into consideration the parent-child relationship. Visiting rooms are usually uninviting and at times, even frightening for children. In many cases, children are required to sit across a table from their parent or be separated by a glass partition. The schedule of visiting hours can be confusing and inconvenient for caregivers who are transporting children a long distance to see their parents. These circumstances can be discouraging for caregivers who may already be concerned with what effect visiting the prison may have on the child. As a result, many caregivers perceive it to be in the child’s best interest not to visit their parent. The lack of visiting and phone contact for many children only deepens their feelings of confusion and depression.

According to Oliver, successful reintegration of the parent back into the community often depends on the foundation laid during their incarceration and the support they receive during reintegration. Upon reintegration, parents often experience financial, occupational, residential and social pressures while trying to reestablish a relationship with their children.

Without preparation and support for the parent during and following their incarceration, the stresses associated with community and family reintegration may increase the risk of abuse or neglect of the child. Likewise, without support, parents are more likely to return to their old peer group, increasing their risk of re-offending and returning to jail or prison. Studies show that the potential for recidivism is greatly reduced when ongoing support services are provided to both the parent and the child during this challenging transition.

During her new video, The Silent Voices. . . Children with Incarcerated Parents, Rosetta Oliver lays the foundation for addressing the issues surrounding the importance of the parent-child relationship during incarceration.

Rosetta Oliver has also written a child’s coloring book which is illustrated by Montez McCray. One Sweet Day is designed as a therapeutic tool to help small children address their feelings of confusion, pain, hurt, sadness and loneliness associated with having a parent incarcerated.

About the presenter:
Rosetta P. Oliver, CEO of Frederick Motley Institute, has developed programs and training materials to educate families, professionals and communities on the dynamics of transitioning from periods of incarceration and addiction to a lifestyle of recovery. Ms. Oliver has provided seminars and training materials to various correctional facilities, substance abuse programs, schools, parenting groups, and many others. Her coloring book for elementary and middle school children, One Sweet Day, has been sold across the country to help children better understand addiction and incarceration.

A graduate of Virginia State University with a B.S.W., she has worked in the field of addiction and incarceration for nearly twenty years. Ms. Oliver is a former Unit Manager and Release Preparation Program coordinator for the Federal Bureau of Prisons.