ABSTRACT

This chapter focuses on the behavioral and emotional reactions of children during paternal incarceration, emphasizing particularly the effects on boys. It considers both sons' and daughters' reactions while emphasizing, when possible, the specific effects of paternal incarceration on boys. Friedman and Esselstyn studied teacher ratings of children in California whose fathers had been incarcerated. M. Rutter evaluated the effects of long-term separation on children who had been involved in two epidemiological studies. One group consisted of children in small towns on the Isle of Wight; the second group consisted of children living in an urban setting in London. J. S. Wallerstein has reviewed an extensive body of literature related to the effects of divorce on children. The chapter presents a complex challenge to clinicians, researchers, and social policy planners. Family attitudes, financial problems, social isolation, and social stigma were major problems confronting the families of the imprisoned parents.