Parenting Young Offenders: Shaping and Re-Shaping Social Networks following Custody

在服刑的少年犯中，有61%在服刑期满后回到家人身边(英国皇家检察院，2011年)，共有3 925名儿童(10-17岁)被监禁(司法部，2011/12年度)。社会关系和家庭关系的重要性与解释不再犯罪以及监禁后积极重新安置的因素密切相关(Sampson和Laub，1993，Farrall，2004年)。正如这些研究已付诸实施的那样，实际、情感和财政支持是出狱后更积极的重新安置前景的关键属性，包括更多找到工作、培训或教育的机会。虽然家庭和社会关系的作用可以是支持罪犯的重要机制，但很少有研究侧重于家庭成员在监禁过程中的经历，特别是有子女(10-17岁)被监禁的父母。除了父母在暂缓安置和重新安置方面可以发挥的关键作用外，由于儿童被监禁，父母还可能遭受相当大的影响和社会压力，这最终可能损害父母在支持重新安置和重新安置方面的作用。这些挑战包括在朋友、大家庭中以及通过一系列社区网络和社会服务寻求支持的能力方面的挑战(Patillo等人，2004年，Rose和Clear，2001年)，此外还有对经济和就业的影响、压力、身心健康问题以及育儿责任的额外压力(例如Ambert，1999年)。该项目将研究哪些网络被证明是父母的障碍，以及哪些网络在帮助父母应对孩子被监禁的影响方面起到了促进者和支持者的作用。在这里，这项研究将对被监禁的年轻人的父母进行60次深入采访，其中包括那些受到社区惩罚或被判刑的人。这将从父母那里收集关于他们与被监禁儿童的经历的数据，并在父母的社交网络上分析结果。社会网络分析有助于分析家庭关系、友谊、正式支持机构等社会资本的标志是如何因儿童入狱而改变的。该项目基于两个现场地点--南威尔士布里真德的青年公园和伦敦(与Lambeth青少年犯罪小组以及囚犯家属和朋友服务机构合作)。有关组织已经建立了支持家庭应对监禁影响的倡议，包括育儿支持、咨询和小组支持会议。该项目还将调查监狱服务处、青年司法服务处和第三部门从业人员在支持父母方面的经验，包括组织和文化环境、资源和参与方式方面的挑战。该项目侧重于评估监禁如何对家庭生活产生更广泛的影响，例如对养育子女的责任、父母的身心健康以及对社会和经济不利的更广泛来源的影响。除了全面了解父母的需要和经验外，这项研究还将用于支持监狱管理局、青年司法局和第三部门制定更有效的家庭支助政策和战略，特别是那些对重新安置和停职有影响的政策和战略，并向其提出建议，在这些政策和服务提供方面发现了一些差距(监狱监察局，2011年，青年司法委员会，2012年)。

61% of young offenders serving custodial sentences return to their family after completing their prison term (HM Inspectorate, 2011), with a total of 3,925 children (aged 10-17) incarcerated (Ministry of Justice, 2011/12). The importance of social ties and family relationships has been well linked to factors explaining desistance from offending as well as positive resettlement following imprisonment (Sampson and Laub, 1993, Farrall, 2004). As has been operationalized in these studies, practical, emotional and financial support are key attributes associated with more positive resettlement prospects on release from prison, including greater chances of finding work, training or education. Whilst the role of families and social ties can be important mechanisms in supporting offenders, few studies have focused on the experiences of family members in the imprisonment process, especially parents with children (aged 10-17) imprisoned. Besides the key role which parents can play in relation to desistance and resettlement, parents can suffer considerable impacts and social pressures as a result of a child's imprisonment which can ultimately impair parental roles in supporting resettlement and desistance. These include challenges in their capacities to seek support amongst friends, extended family, and via a range of community networks and social services (Patillo et al, 2004, Rose and Clear, 2001), in addition to impacts on finances and employment, stress, physical and mental health problems, and additional pressure on parenting duties (e.g. Ambert, 1999). This project will examine which networks prove barriers to parents, and which serve as facilitators and supporters in helping parents cope with the impact of having a child imprisoned. Here the research will conduct 60 in-depth interviews with parents of young men imprisoned, including those with community penalties or licenses attached to their sentence. This will gather data from parents about their experiences with a child imprisoned, as well as analysing the outcomes on parental social networks. Social network analysis contributes to the analysis how showing how markers of social capital, such as family ties, friendships, formal support agencies, are altered as a result of a child imprisoned. The project is based on two field locales - Parc YOI in Bridgend, South Wales, and London (working with Lambeth Youth Offending Team, and Prisoners' Families and Friends Service (PFFS). The organisations involved have established initiatives which support families cope with the effects of imprisonment, including parenting support, counselling, and group support sessions. The project will also investigate the experiences of practitioners from the Prison Service, Youth Justice Service and Third Sector in supporting parents, including the challenges in organisational and cultural environments, resources, and modes of engagement. The project focuses on assessing the ways in which imprisonment creates wider impacts on family life, such as on parenting duties, physical and mental health of parents, as well as wider sources of social and economic disadvantage. As well as providing a comprehensive picture of the needs and experiences of parents, the research will be used to support and provide recommendations to the Prison Service, Youth Justice Service and Third Sector for creating more effective family-support policies and strategies, especially those which impact on resettlement and desistance where a number of gaps in policy and service provision have been identified (Prison Inspectorate, 2011, Youth Justice Board, 2012).