330 1 2 Corrections and Prison Practices—Family Forensicsall staff will be knowledgeable about how to provide a positive environment for
children, so child development specialists should be involved in the programming.
Also, the correctional facilities need to develop visitation areas which promote fam-
ily bonding (Hairston, 1991b) and help children overcome their fears of going to
the prison for visitation. As Leslie's case shows, children are afraid of jails and prisons
and may not want to see their mothers for this reason.
Once programs and services have been developed within the correctional insti-
tution, then policies should be developed to assist these same women when released
from prison. Currently, there is no set standard for continuing services outside of
the prison (Adalist-Estrin, 1994). As in Annie's situation, these mothers may be
struggling with someone who is seeking to terminate their parental rights, and
they may need assistance with this process. Correctional facilities could have social
workers on staff whose role it is to help these women transition back into their
families.
One area that has been neglected is the development of more comprehensive
programs for fathers who become incarcerated. In some situations, the father may
have been the sole caretaker, and therefore his children would experience the same
sense of grief over the loss of the parent. Even if the children have a mother at
home, they still have a connection with their father and should be able to visit
him in order to maintain that connection. Male correctional facilities could assist
with this by also improving their visitation areas and allowing for extended visits
by the children. If the father is the sole caretaker of a young child, then policies for
developing live-in programs at male prisons also should be developed.
Suggestions for Future ResearchAn important area of research is to determine which situations are beneficial and
which are detrimental for children who continue contact with their incarcerated
parents (Hairston, 1991a). In some instances, seeking termination of parental rights
may be in the best interest of the child, but a better understanding of what those
instances are should be explored. Similarly, the effects on children of visiting or not
visiting their incarcerated parent should be studied further (Hairston, 199la).
Additional research should be conducted regarding the possible effects on chil-
dren who live with their mothers in correctional institutions. More information is
needed, particularly regarding whether this is beneficial or detrimental to youths. If
benefits are assured, then examining whether they would extend to older children
should be the next step.
Finally, research should examine what the effects are on children who have a
father who becomes incarcerated, even if that father is not the sole provider. Do
these children experience the same sense of loss as losing a mother? Are the bonds
as strong with a father as they are with a mother? The father plays an important