A prevalence study of children with imprisoned fathers

Annual and lifetime estimates

Bibliographic Data

ID11227768
AuthorsSusan Dennison (0000-0002-7746-7974, corresponding author), Anna Stewart (0000-0002-5256-0400), Kate Freiberg
Year2013
Volume48
Issue3
Pages339-362
Publication date2013-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAustralian Journal of Social Issues (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0157-6321 • E-ISSN: 1839-4655
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/j.1839-4655.2013.tb00286.x
OpenAlexW7646923
LanguageEN
Citations received12
References cited18

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

Criminology · Imprisonment · Indigenous · Political science · Population · Project commissioning · Publishing · Sociology · Child Abuse and Trauma · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis · Demography · Homelessness and Social Issues · Law · Medicine · Psychology

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