ABSTRACT

Charged with the responsibility for protecting children and preserving families, the child welfare system needs to pay special attention to women in jail and their families. Jails provide an opportunity to reach families early in the criminal justice process. At a time when so many issues demand the attention of public administrators, when welfare reform threatens to leave many impoverished families unprotected, and when most public agencies have to do more with less, it can be disheartening to hear that there is yet another population that needs help. Women in jail often come from fragmented and abusive families and face continuing abuse as adults. Despite the apparent need to provide support to children and families of women in jail, pressures within the criminal justice and child welfare systems often prevent either system from working effectively with women in jail and their families.