At any one time, nearly 6.9 million people are on probation, in jail, in prison, or on parole in the United Sates. Each year, more than 600,000 individuals are released from state and federal prisons. Another 9 million cycle through local jails. More than two-thirds of prisoners are rearrested within 3 years of their release and half are reincarcerated. When reentry fails, the costs are high — more crime, more victims, and more pressure on already-strained state and municipal budgets. There is also more family distress and community instability. Roughly 1 in 28 children currently has a parent behind bars. Mass incarceration has been a major driver of poverty. Without mass incarceration, it is estimated that 5 million fewer Americans would have been poor between 1980 and 2014.
Through the Federal Interagency Reentry Council, federal agencies are working together to enhance community safety and well-being, assist those returning from prison and jail in becoming productive citizens, and save taxpayer dollars by lowering the direct and collateral costs of incarceration. Because reintegration to the community after incarceration intersects with issues of health, housing, education, employment, family, faith, and community well-being, the U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and other federal agencies are focusing on the reentry population with activities that aim to improve outcomes in these areas.
Individuals, families, and communities served by HHS programs are affected by high rates of incarceration. HHS initiatives that target this population encompass a range of human services, health, and behavioral health services. Human services initiatives aim to improve child outcomes, enhance family relationships, promote employment opportunities, and connect individuals and families affected by incarceration with needed supportive services with a larger goal of increasing the safety and economic well-being of reentering individuals, their families, and the communities to which they return. Health activities focus on connecting individuals leaving the criminal justice system with health insurance, needed treatment and preventative care. They also address the individual, family and community public health risks of incarceration and reentry, including substance abuse, mental health, chronic disease, oral health, and the gender-specific needs of the incarcerated and reentering population. Jointly, the health and human services efforts of HHS strive to increase stability, health, and overall well-being for incarcerated and reentering individuals and their families.
Reports:
About the Public-Use Dataset from the Multi-site Family Study on Incarceration, Parenting and Partnering (MFS-IP)
This document briefly describes the public-use dataset from the Multi-site Study on Incarceration, Parenting and Partnering.
Multi-site Family Study on Incarceration, Parenting and Partnering: Program Impacts Technical Report
This report presents findings on the impact of couples-based family strengthening services in four prison-based programs from the Multi-Site Family Study on Incarceration, Parenting and Partnering (MFS-IP) and discusses the implications for policy, programs, and future research. In one of the four grantee programs, the low-dosage healthy relationship retreat had sustained positive effects on multiple partnership and parenting relationship outcomes for a low-income, justice-involved population. This evaluation attempted to isolate the impacts of relatively low-dosage couples programming.
Earnings and Child Support Participation Among Reentering Fathers
A father’s incarceration can represent a serious threat to economic stability for his children and family, yet little is known about earnings and child support payments among justice-involved men over the course of incarceration and release. This brief presents findings on pre- and post-incarceration wages and child support participation in the five impact sites of the Multi-site Family Study on Incarceration, Parenting and Partnering (MFS-IP). This analysis matches MFS-IP survey data with state administrative data on wages and child support participation to examine this gap.
Impact of Couples-Based Family Strengthening Services for Incarcerated and Reentering Fathers and Their Partners
This brief summarizes findings on the impact of couples-based family strengthening services in four prison-based programs from the Multi-Site Family Study on Incarceration, Parenting and Partnering (MFS-IP) and discusses the implications for policy, programs, and future research. In one of the four grantee programs, the low-dosage healthy relationship retreat had sustained positive effects on multiple partnership and parenting relationship outcomes for a low-income, justice-involved population. This evaluation attempted to isolate the impacts of relatively low-dosage couples programming.
Predictors of Reentry Success
This brief uses a sample of over 1,000 reentering men in five states to examine reentry success. The analysis uses a common measure of recidivism as well as measures of success in other areas, including employment, drug use, and two dimensions of family relationship quality that are very rarely examined in reentry studies: financial support for children and intimate/coparenting relationship quality. The results suggest that most men were successful in at least four of the measured areas and that family contact during incarceration was positively associated with reentry success. Further,
Parenting And Partnership When Fathers Return from Prison: Findings from Qualitative Analysis
This brief presents findings on family life during and after a father’s incarceration based on qualitative interviews conducted as part of the Multi-site Family Study on Incarceration, Parenting and Partnering (MFS-IP). Qualitative and mixed-method analysis of pre- and post-release interview data from 170 participants found that reentering men and their partners reported overwhelming, unmet needs for support to maintain family relationships during incarceration, overcome trauma, meet families’ material needs, and find housing and employment after the father’s release.
Change in Couple Relationships Before, During, and After Incarceration: Couple Relationships
Understanding what supports strong relationship quality among formerly incarcerated men and their partners could have an impact on individual, interpersonal, and community safety and wellbeing. The information in this research brief is drawn from a couples-based longitudinal study of families affected by incarceration, focusing on 641 couples where the male partner was incarcerated at the beginning of the study and released prior to the completion of the final study interviews.
The Importance of Medicaid Coverage for Criminal Justice Involved Individuals Reentering Their Communities
The purpose of this issue brief is to highlight the importance of health insurance coverage for criminal justice involved individuals, particularly the importance of the expansion in Medicaid coverage made available through the Affordable Care Act. This issue brief explains why Medicaid and access to the health benefits the program covers can play a key role in improving the health not only of justice involved individuals, but also of their communities.
Change in Father-child Relationships Before, During, and After Incarceration
Understanding what supports strong relationships formerly incarcerated men and their children could have an impact on individual, interpersonal, and community safety and well-being. The information in this research brief is drawn from a couples-based longitudinal study of families affected by incarceration, focusing on 772 fathers who were incarcerated at the beginning of the study and released prior to the completion of the final study interviews.
Imprisonment and Disenfranchisement of Disconnected Low-Income Men
This brief, part of a series on disconnected low-income men, presents selected data on low-income men’s contact with the criminal justice system.
Five Years Later: Final Implementation Lessons from the Evaluation of Responsible Fatherhood, Marriage and Family Strengthening Grants for Incarcerated and Reentering Fathers and Their Partners
The Responsible Fatherhood, Marriage and Family Strengthening Grants for Incarcerated and Reentering Fathers and Their Partners Initiative (MFS-IP) represented a groundbreaking effort to recognize and respond to the impact of incarceration on families and the crucial role of family support in reentry success. No one program model was required for MFS-IP grantees, and sites varied widely in the program components delivered and service delivery approaches implemented. The MFS-IP implementation evaluation identified common elements of program design, organizational capacity, and operational strategy that shaped grantees’ successes and failures in bringing their programs to scale. These implementation findings can help inform ongoing work with families in correctional and reentry settings.
Addressing Domestic Violence in Family Strengthening Programs for Couples Affected by Incarceration
ASPE RESEARCH BRIEF Abstract
Overview and Inventory of HHS Efforts to Assist Incarcerated and Reentering Individuals and their Families
Prepared by: Erica Meade and Linda Mellgren The views expressed in this report are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Impact of Marital and Relationship Status on Social Outcomes for Returning Prisoners
ASPE RESEARCH BRIEF(*) The Impact of Marital and Relationship Status on Social Outcomes for Returning Prisoners January 2009 This Research Brief is available on the Internet at:http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/09/Marriage&Reentry/rb.shtml Printer Friendly Version in PDF format (10 pages)
Incarceration and the Family: A Review of Research and Promising Approaches for Serving Fathers and Families
Prepared for U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE)Administration for Children and Families/Office of Family Assistance Prepared by Mindy Herman-Stahl, Marni L. Kan, and Tasseli McKay RTI International
National Evaluation of the Responsible Fatherhood, Marriage, and Family Strengthening Grants for Incarcerated and Re-Entering Fathers and their Partners: Program Overview and Evaluation Summary
This brief was prepared by Christine Lindquist and Anupa Bir of RTI International, under contract to ASPE. It describes the Responsible Fatherhood, Marriage, and Family Strengthening Grants for Incarcerated and Re-Entering Fathers and their Partners (MFS-IP) and provides an overview of the implementation and impact evaluation of this initiative.
Research and Practice Symposium on Marriage and Incarceration: A Meeting Summary
This report is a summary of an ASPE convened symposium on developing strategies to improve the marriages and family life of those incarcerated or returning from a period of incarceration. Invited to the meeting were experts with research and practice knowledge about incarceration and re-entry, marriage strengthening , family processes and domestic violence. The symposium discussion focused on 1) increasing understanding among the criminal justice and marriage education disciplines about how these issues are viewed by each discipline; 2) identifying practice needs and gaps in order to improve marriage outcomes for these couples; and 3) reviewing research topics for improved understanding of the efficacy of various interventions for this population. In addition to the discussion synthesis the report contains the Symposium agenda and participants and a conference background paper.
From Prison to Home: The Effect of Incarceration and Reentry on Children, Families, and Communities
From Prison to Home: The Effect of Incarceration on Children, Families, and Communities Conference Report Prepared for:U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE)Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) By: The Urban Institute: Marcia Festen, principal author and Justice Policy Center: Michelle Waul, Amy Solomon, and Jeremy Travis
Effects of Parental Incarceration on Young Children
From Prison to Home: The Effect of Incarceration and Reentry on Children, Families, and Communities Effects of Parental Incarceration on Young Children Ross D. Parke University of California, Riverside K. Alison Clarke-Stewart University of California, Irvine December 2001 [ Project Home Page | List of Conference Papers ]
The Antisocial Behavior of the Adolescent Children of Incarcerated Parents: A Developmental Perspective
From Prison to Home: The Effect of Incarceration and Reentry on Children, Families, and Communities The Antisocial Behavior of the Adolescent Children of Incarcerated Parents: A Developmental Perspective By: J. Mark Eddy and John B. Reid Oregon Social Learning Center December 2001 [ Project Home Page | List of Conference Papers ]
Prisoners and Families: Parenting Issues During Incarceration
From Prison to Home: The Effect of Incarceration and Reentry on Children, Families, and Communities Prisoners and Families: Parenting Issues During Incarceration Creasie Finney Hairston, PhD Jane Addams College of Social Work University of Illinois at Chicago December 2001 [ Project Home Page | List of Conference Papers ]
Exploring the Needs and Risks of the Returning Prisoner Population
From Prison to Home: The Effect of Incarceration and Reentry on Children, Families, and Communities Exploring the Needs and Risks of the Returning Prisoner Population By: James Austin George Washington University John Irwin San Francisco State University Patricia Hardyman George Washington University December 2001 [ Project Home Page | List of Conference Papers ]