Jamie S. Martin

Martin examines the attitudes of inmates toward their children. Her findings show a wide range of emotions and offer suggestions for policy changes.

The United States incarcerates nearly 1.7 million men and the majority of them have minor children. Despite these figures, little is known about the effects of incarceration on the father-child relationship. Martin's work increases our understanding of this phenomenon from the perspective of jailed fathers.

Using a multi-methodological approach, surveys and face-to-face interviews, Martin examined the jailed fathers' experiences in their families of origin, the family roles they played prior to incarceration, and the effects of being separated from their children during incarceration. The results show jail as a microcosm of society: Martin found both involved and loving fathers and uninvolved and detached fathers. In addition, the findings suggest support for attachment theory.

Table of Contents

1. The Need to Study Jailed Fathers
2. Methods
3. The Family of Origin: Examining the Roots of Paternal Behavior
4. Jailed Fathers in their Current Family
5. The Jail Experience of Fathers: Paternal Reaction to Separation from Children
6. Conclusion and Implications
References
Appendices
Index