ABSTRACT
Fathers who are in prisons and jails are not just convicts - they are parents as well. The family roles and responsibilities of incarcerated fathers, however, are seldom the focus of institutional policies, scholarly research, or child welfare services. National surveys of prison inmates provide excellent information on many aspects of prison operations and prisoner characteristics. Statistical reports disseminated annually advise, for example, that though prison numbers are escalating rapidly, certain social characteristics of the prison population have remained relatively constant over the past several years. Parent-child relationships during imprisonment are not just dependent on personal preferences or family histories. Although they operate within the nexus of public opinion, public opinion is also not the sole determining factor. Visiting is particularly problematic. Prison visiting is both psychologically and physically demanding for children and adults as the visiting environment in most prisons is poor.
