Town hall meeting explores solutions to better serve children of incarcerated parents

Nearly half of the 1.5 million incarcerated adults have minor children outside of prison. Recently, Judy Krysik, associate professor and associate director in the School of Social Work, and Nancy Rodriquez, professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, held a town hall meeting with professionals in child welfare, education, justice, behavioral health, child crisis, domestic violence services, and local and state government officials to discuss findings from their joint research report, Children of Incarcerated Parents.

Download an information sheet on their work: arizona children of incarcerated parents info sheet1.pdf. 

The study began in 2010 through a partnership with the Arizona Governor’s Office, Department of Corrections, Criminal Justice Commission, Department of Economic Security and ASU.

The gathering was an interactive forum to discuss how to better serve underrepresented children and their caregivers. Attendees explored what agencies and organizations need to do within their infrastructures to provide better support and stronger collaborations.

Some of the solutions attendees came up with centered on increased education, open communication and cooperation between agencies, breaking down bureaucratic barriers, cultural awareness within organizations and agencies, and stronger transitional support for caregivers, children and their incarcerated parents.

Rodriguez said she feels these types of group discussion are important for asking the tough questions about what is being done to improve the well-being of families affected by incarceration. She went on to emphasize that these forums also help agencies and organizations spread the word about possible solutions.

“In order to have a substantial impact on this large scale, multifaceted  problem, we will chart a course of working together with the philanthropic and service community of Arizona. No one agency or organization can create the impact that is needed across multiple sectors to address this issue. At ASU, we have a role in serving as an organizing and propelling force to launch a campaign for change to better the lives of these children,” says Krysik.