Session: Diverse Perspectives on the Intersection of Mass Incarceration and Family Systems (Society for Social Work and Research 29th Annual Conference)

The negative effects of incarceration are experienced by many individuals and frequently with lifelong implications, far beyond those who are directly incarcerated. Indeed, mass incarceration in the United States results in collateral consequences that reach beyond prison walls and are felt by communities, families, and other systems alike. This symposium explores the multifaceted role of mass incarceration in family systems, delving into the social, economic, and psychological consequences of incarceration on families. It also examines strategies to mitigate the harms of incarceration on parents, youth, children, and other family members. By examining families affected by incarceration, these collections of papers aim to shed light on the ripple effects of carceral systems.

Each symposium paper will highlight a unique perspective on the intersection of incarceration and families. The first paper focuses on parents within family systems, utilizing data from pre and post-treatment assessments and feedback and acceptability data to investigate the effects of a parenting skills intervention on parent attitudes, behavior, and skills. The second paper examines non-incarcerated children within a family. Taking a narrative methodological approach the presenter highlights how a period of youth incarceration can affect the relationship between non-incarcerated siblings and their parents. The third paper looks at delinquent youth in family systems. The paper uses descriptive and inferential statistics to improve our understanding of the relationship between juvenile legal involvement, anti-social behavior, and suicide attempts among young people.

This symposium underscores the far-reaching consequences of mass incarceration on those directly impacted as well as their family members, transcending the confines of prisons to affect communities and families. Together, the papers in this symposium draw on both quantitative and qualitative approaches to: 1) conceptualize the impact of mass incarceration on family systems at the micro, meso and macro level; 2) provide important insights on the ways families experience policy, practice, and programs related to the criminal legal system; and 3) interrogate the ways policy shifts, interventions and larger structural transformations could better serve families and provide the necessary conditions to change their material conditions today and promote more equitable and just futures.