A prevalence study of children with imprisoned fathers: annual and lifetime estimates

In Australia, data are not routinely collected on the parental status of prisoners, so there are no official nationwide figures and few State-based figures. The current study uses data collected in Queensland over a six-month period to estimate how many Queensland children, in one year and in their...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Australian journal of social issues 2013-03, Vol.48 (3), p.339-362
Main Authors: Dennison, Susan, Stewart, Anna, Freiberg, Kate
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis
children
Children & youth
Children of prisoners
Correctional institutions
Councils
Estimates
families
Families & family life
Family relationships
Father and child
Fathers
Imprisonment
Methods
Mothers
Native peoples
Parenting
Parents & parenting
paternal incarceration
Prevalence studies (Epidemiology)
prison
Prisoners
Prisons
Services for
Social aspects
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Summary:In Australia, data are not routinely collected on the parental status of prisoners, so there are no official nationwide figures and few State-based figures. The current study uses data collected in Queensland over a six-month period to estimate how many Queensland children, in one year and in their entire childhood, experience paternal imprisonment. Additional data were collected relating to the provision of care for the child prior to, and during, their father's imprisonment. Participants were 303 imprisoned fathers (51 per cent of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin) who reported a total of 753 children. Using these data and population statistics, it was estimated that 0.8 per cent of children in Queensland experienced paternal imprisonment in one year while approximately four per cent experience paternal imprisonment in their lifetime. Indigenous children were nine times more likely to experience paternal imprisonment in one year and four times more likely to experience paternal imprisonment in their lifetime compared to non-Indigenous children. Approximately half of the children (48 per cent) lived with their father prior to his imprisonment. Results are discussed in relation to whether children were living with their father as well as the possibility of pre-existing risks in children's lives that may subsequently interact with their father's imprisonment.
ISSN:0157-6321
1839-4655
DOI:10.1002/j.1839-4655.2013.tb00286.x