ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that imprisonment affects not only the incarcerated, but the hidden victims of incarceration—the inmate's family. The hidden victims in the correctional system are the family members of the incarcerated. Nearly 1.5 million US children—2 percent of the nation's minors—had a parent in prison at the end of the twentieth century. The chapter discusses the context of a restorative justice model, with the emphasis being on restoring the relationship between the black male offender, his family, and the community. It also argues that the emphasis in dealing with inmates and their families in general and the families of incarcerated black men in particular requires a "solution" oriented approach. The majority of research on incarcerated parents has focused on mothers, with little attention paid to the problems of inmate fathers, even though men are the most "imprisoned gender." The chapter explores criminal incarceration as only affecting the offender.
