Contact: Aga Haupt
An oft-forgotten group of state residents is getting the attention of two Mississippi State University psychologists.
Over the next three years, associate professor Virginia E. Fee and assistant professor Kristine M. Jacquin will seek to learn more about children whose mothers or fathers are in prison. They estimate that as many as 5,000 young Mississippians have at least one parent in the state corrections system.
"There is no easily accessible database of these children in Mississippi," Fee said. "No one is following them and no one knows how many of them there are, partly because of the social stigma associated with having an inmate parent."
The state departments of Correction and Health and Human Services, as well as a state prisoner resource group, are supporting the MSU project. The study focuses specifically on sons and daughters of family members in the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility at Pearl.
Fee said about 80 percent of women incarcerated in the state are mothers and 60 percent of incarcerated men are fathers. Of those, 78 percent of the mothers were primary care givers, while 50 percent of the fathers lived with their children prior to their imprisonment.
"Children of imprisoned parents are more likely to have a greater exposure to violence, are at a higher risk for physical or sexual abuse and are more likely to suffer drug and alcohol addiction," Fee said. "As a result, they are more likely to turn to a life of crime themselves."
The researchers said their goal is to help the affected children break the cycle. In developing programs that target an age range from infancy to adolescence, Jacquin said their first step will be "to learn which of the children's needs aren't being met."
The project also will involve creation of a parenting education program, as well as provisions for transportation and child-directed visitations. Additionally, prison guards will receive expanded training on the needs of children and families.
For more information, telephone Fee at (662) 325-3782; Jacquin, at 325-1022.