ABSTRACT
Changes in criminal justice policy have resulted in the incarceration of an unprecedented number of parents. Consequently, more children than ever before are living with grandparents and other relatives while their parents are imprisoned. The National Council on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD) conducted a study of a small sample of caregivers of children whose mothers were incarcerated. Unlike nonrelative foster parents who make the proactive choice to take responsibility for someone else's children, relative caregivers often enter into the caregiving role in the midst of a family crisis. And unlike nonrelative foster parents, relative caregivers find there is no systematic response to help them and the children in their care adjust to this major disruption in their lives. Relatives caring for children whose parents are incarcerated often try to avoid involvement with the child welfare system for fear the children will be removed from their homes.
