Jail and prison are a part of life in America. How does incarceration impact families of those who are imprisoned? And how does it impact the rest of our society?
The video below provides a quick overview of how incarceration has changed in the United States over the last century. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-kFNDIzL9k&feature=youtu.be
Now take a minute to check on the increase in incarceration where you live: http://trends.vera.org/#/
Make a note of the numbers you see in your county and surrounding counties.
Many people are unaware that a significant number of people are incarcerated each year due to poverty, minor municipal fines (for jaywalking, speeding, not mowing one’s lawn, not vaccinating a pet against rabies, open container, etc.), and the policy choice of privatizing fine collection. These fines have far-reaching impacts, including car loss, job loss, deepening poverty and desperation, escalation of minor misdemeanors into more significant charges, and sometimes to criminal behavior that might never have occurred if these enormous compounding fees had not been charged by private companies. The following John Oliver “Last Week Tonight” segment examines how this problem has developed (any student who may feel offended by a significant amount of bleeped out swearing and some vulgar humor in this segment should feel https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2015/02/09/384968360/jail-time-for-unpaid-court-fi nes-and-fees-can-create-cycle-of-poverty
free to listen instead to a great National Public Radio segment on the same topic at this link https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2015/02/09/384968360/jail-time-for-unpaid-court-fi nes-and-fees-can-create-cycle-of-poverty
free to listen instead to a great National Public Radio segment on the same topic at this link https://www.nprorg/sections/codeswitch/2015/02/09/384968360/jail-time-for-unpaid-court-fi nes-and-fees-can-create-cycle-of-poverty
We often think about incarceration as only impacting prisoners, but it has an enormous impact on family members, especially children. To learn more about the impact of incarceration on kids, read www.kccba.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Initiative-CIP-Stats_Fact-Sheet2_Final_4-27-12.pdf and think carefully about each bullet point. Around the country, many people and organizations are working to address the needs of families with incarcerated members. One of the most comprehensive efforts to help children nationwide is https://sesamestreetincommunities.org/topics/incarceration/ Reviewing the tool kit resources listed on the page will give you a good idea of the issues families face, and how kids can be supported in the absence of a parent or parents.
Tips for Parents Guide to Parents and Caregivers (what caregivers can do to help kids through a parents incarceration) In My Family (a storybook for kids conveying key messages for kids of incarcerated parents) My Morning Routine Finally, watch at least 8 of the very short (most less than one minute) videos in the https://www.sesamestreet.org/parents/topicsandactivities/toolkits/incarceration#0 For your discussion post: Describe what you learned from the first video about how our prison population has changed in the United States over the past century? What other parts of our strategy for dealing with crime have received decreased funding as prison populations have grown? Which do you think are the most important ideas in the Osborne Association fact sheet ? In particular, did you notice any information that surprised you? What is your reaction to the John Oliver segment (or the alternative NPR audio link, if you listened to that instead)? Share at least 3 ideas you learned from the Sesame Street resources that you could use to help a child who has an incarcerated parent.
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