title: Parental involvement with the criminal justice system and the effects on their children: a collaborative model for researching vulnerable families.
abstract: Despite the existing body of research examining the effects of imprisonment on incarcerated adults, as of yet, there is no solid empirical evidence for understanding the effects of parental involvement with the criminal justice system involvement (CJSI) on children and families. Accordingly, Columbia University-New York State's Child Psychiatric Epidemiology Group (CPEG), supported by a strong collaboration with The Bronx Defenders, a holistic public defender providing free legal representation, is conducting a longitudinal study examining the effects of parental involvement with the criminal justice system on this population. The study aims to understand, over time, the impact of parental CJSI on their children's mental health, including the effects of the collateral legal damage of CJSI (such as eviction and deportation), substance use, the development of risky behaviors leading to the child's potential involvement with the criminal justice system, as well as protective factors and identification of potential intervention points, which has the ability to inform public policy.
authors.affiliation: Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York 10032, USA. baa15@columbia.edu
authors.forename: Bree
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Akesson
authors.forename: J McGregor
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Smyth
authors.forename: Donald J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Mandell
authors.forename: Thao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Doan
authors.forename: Katerina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Donina
authors.forename: Christina W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Hoven
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003415:Crime / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009518:New York; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D016487:Parenting; D011329:Prisoners / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D011594:Psychometrics; D012307:Risk Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D035501:Uncertainty; D014481:United States