All rights reserved. September 2016

Summary of Listening Session with Youth Who Have

or Have Had Incarcerated Parents

Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs (IWGYP)

American Institutes for Research

June 2017 

June 2017
American Institutes for Research Listening Session Summary—2

Introduction

Children of incarcerated parents are an often hidden and underserved population. On behalf of the Federal 

Interagency Reentry Council (FIRC) subcommittee on Children of Incarcerated Parents (COIP) and the 

Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs (IWGYP), the American Institutes for Research (AIR) 

conducted a listening session with youth who have or have had incarcerated parents. AIR worked with the 

National Resource Center for Children and Families of the Incarcerated (NRCCFI) to recruit a diverse 

group of youth from across the country who gathered in 

Washington, D.C., on June 28-29, 2016, for a listening 

session to discuss their experiences as children of 

incarcerated parents. We brought together youth with 

lived experience as children with an incarcerated parent 

to learn about their unique needs, observations, and 

suggestions for how to improve services and programs 

designed for them. This is a summary of the discussions 

that occurred over the course of the two days. 

Having a parent in prison can have an impact on a 

child’s mental health, social behavior, and educational 

prospects.1 The emotional trauma that may occur and 

the practical difficulties of a disrupted family life can be compounded by the social stigma that youth may 

face as a result of having a parent in prison or jail.2 Youth who have an incarcerated parent may 

experience financial hardship that results from the loss of that parent’s income.3 Further, some 

incarcerated parents face termination of parental rights because their children have been in the foster care 

system beyond the time allowed by law.4 These youth require support from local, state, and federal 

systems to meet their needs.

Youth who have incarcerated parents may also face a number of other challenging circumstances. They 

may have experienced trauma related to their parent’s arrest or experiences leading up to it.5 Youth with 

incarcerated parents may also be more likely to have faced other adverse childhood experiences, 

including witnessing violence in their communities or directly in their household or exposure to drug and 

alcohol abuse.6

Youth have valuable ideas for improving policy and practice that support children of incarcerated parents 

drawn from their own experiences. Adults who work with youth or for youth in various capacities can 

make a positive difference in the lives of youth who have or have had an incarcerated parent. Policy 

makers, teachers, mentors, and youth organization staff can help youth tap into their inner strength and 

resiliency. This document summarizes the feedback youth had for policy makers and practitioners when 

 

1 La Vigne, Davies, & Brazzell, 2008

2 La Vigne et al., 2008

3 General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, 2011

4 U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), 2011

5 La Vigne et al., 2008

6 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2013; Phillips & Gleeson, 200
American Institutes for Research Listening Session Summary—3

they had the opportunity to share their experiences at 

the listening session in Washington, D.C. in June 2016.

On day one of the listening session, the 19 young 

people from different backgrounds and with varying 

experiences shared their thoughts with each other 

during a day of facilitated small group discussion. On 

day two, they presented their ideas for how to improve 

the supports and systems that affect youth and families 

of the incarcerated in front of an audience from Federal 

departments and agencies. Topics included challenges 

and successes with available services; communicating, visiting, and maintaining a relationship with their 

incarcerated parent; and preparing for their parent’s reentry to the family and community.

The purpose of these discussions was to learn more about the

effects of parental incarceration on children, youth, and families. 

The themes that emerged during these discussions will contribute 

to the understanding of the needs of children with incarcerated 

parents and their families and will help inform future work 

regarding policies and procedures contributing to positive 

outcomes for children (inclusive of children, youth, and young adults) with an incarcerated parent.

Participants’ ideas and feedback from the session were used to inform two tip sheets: a tip sheet for youth 

with an incarcerated parent(s) and a tip sheet for service providers who work with them. 

This summary provides information about the planning and process for the listening session, demographic 

information on the youth participants, themes heard from the youth regarding their experience with 

having an incarcerated parent, and ideas for change youth participants made for policy and practice 

improvement.

Preparation and Process

AIR conducted careful and intentional preparation for more than six months. This included identifying 

participants (19 youth and 16 chaperones), planning travel/logistics for the participants, providing detailed 

guidance on strategic sharing to both youth and their chaperones, developing session materials, providing 

an onsite counselor, coordinating video vignettes, and co-facilitating all sessions at the meeting. Strategic 

sharing is a process of carefully deciding what to share about one’s personal experience (see page 5 for 

detailed explanation).

“We are ready to hear about 

solutions; not just discuss the 

problems.”

-W.A., 17 — San Francisco, CA
American Institutes for Research Listening Session Summary—4

Participants

Recognizing the importance of gaining the perspective of a variety 

of youth with varying experience, AIR worked with NRCCFI to 

recruit a diverse group of youth from across the country to learn 

about the youth’s needs, communication, visitation, services, and 

supports (see Appendix B for the list of youth-serving organizations that sent youth to participate). Of 

particular interest was learning how the youth maintain or build relationships with their parent(s) while 

the parent is incarcerated and how this affects the young person. Please note: the information gathered 

during this listening session cannot be considered representative of all youth with incarcerated parents.

Participants in the listening session were youth ages 15-23 with at least one parent who is or has been 

incarcerated. AIR received consent from each participant’s parent or guardian if the youth was under 18-

years-old. The consent form stated that their participation was voluntary and confidential. They positively 

consented to three separate items: general participation in the meeting, audio taping of the sessions, and 

photo/video taping of their image during sessions for possible use in products posted on the

youth.gov/coip website. Two youth did not consent to photo/videotaping. Four young women consented 

to provide short “video vignettes” (see Figure 1) sharing their experiences with having a parent behind 

bars (see Appendix C for a list of the questions used for these vignettes).

FIGURE 1: VIDEO VIGNETTES — IN THEIR WORDS: 4 YOUNG PEOPLE SHARE 

EXPERIENCES WITH HAVING AN INCARCERATED PARENT

Listening session participants included 19 youth from organizations in 13 states (see Figure 2). The 13 

females and six males had a variety of backgrounds and experiences, including race and ethnicity, 

socioeconomic status, whether they were English-language learners and/or first generation in the United 

States, geography and sovereign nation status (i.e., regional, urban, suburban, rural, tribal), whether it was 

their mother and/or father incarcerated, the length of parental incarceration, their age — now and at time 

of incarceration, whether they lived with or apart from their parent prior to incarceration, their living 

arrangements during incarceration, their relationship with parents and family, any history of personal or 

sibling juvenile/criminal justice involvement, communication and visiting schedule with incarcerated 

parent(s), and distance from where they lived to prison (see Appendix A for an infographic about 

participant background and demographic data, which is based on responses to a survey administered prior 

to the listening session). 

“We are not a statistic!”

-B.A., 22 — Little Rock, AR
American Institutes for Research Listening Session Summary—5

FIGURE 2: PARTICIPANT LOCATIONS

Source: Locations of organizations that sent youth to listening session (see Appendix B)

Strategic Sharing

Prior to the listening session, AIR and NRCCFI 

worked with the youth and their trusted adult to 

prepare them for their visit to Washington, D.C. A 

trusted adult could be a parent or family member, a 

mentor, or a staff person from a youth serving 

organization. Preparation included holding several 

conference calls to discuss logistics, answer 

questions, and describe the strategic sharing

process. We explained to them how to think 

through carefully with a trusted adult what they 

wanted to share publicly about their personal 

experience and why. We let the youth know that 

they did not need to answer any questions with 

which they were not comfortable. To assist with 

prioritizing the safety and privacy of the youth, we asked that the Federal partners who attended the 

listening session be careful about what they asked youth to share and consider why they were asking each

question. We reminded all adults at the session that youth often feel pressured to share their stories, even 

if doing so is costly to them, but that trusted adults should always prioritize the safety of youth. 
American Institutes for Research Listening Session Summary—6

We had a trained counselor in attendance at the listening session who was available at any time for youth

who needed to talk or process the experience. Several youth availed themselves of the counselor’s 

services. At the closing of the session, the counselor shared that participants should not be 

surprised if they experienced a delayed reaction to the public sharing experience and the stories 

and memories they revealed. She advised the chaperones and trusted adults to check in with the 

youth in the days immediately following the event.

Facilitation

Three senior AIR staff members and one NRCCFI staff member co-led the sessions, and two AIR staff 

took notes. Participants were not compensated for their time but had all expenses paid for the trip. The 

facilitators reminded the participants that they were not required to answer all of the questions and that 

there were no right or wrong answers. The participants and facilitators sat in an informal circle and 

everyone had the opportunity to speak as much or as little as they chose. 

Participants shared their experiences, offering insights into the challenges they face and ideas for change

for improved opportunities and outcomes. It was the impression of the facilitators that participants spoke 

openly as demonstrated by their willingness to volunteer their time and feedback knowing there was no 

reward (monetary or otherwise), and the emotion and passion with which they shared their stories without 

being prompted. 

The two-day listening session consisted of a day of 

facilitated small group discussion, followed by a 

day of presentation to, and question and answer 

with, federal guests. AIR also held a separate 

break-out session on day one for the chaperones 

who accompanied the youth to D.C. Separate 

sessions maximized youth voice and allowed the 

youth to be comfortable speaking openly in their 

sessions, while also giving the chaperones an 

opportunity to share the valuable perspective of 

caregivers or trusted adults (see Appendix C for a 

full list of questions asked to each group during the 

listening session).

Session Themes

This section presents the ideas and experiences shared by youth during the listening session. It 

shares what the youth want policy makers, corrections, and youth-serving programs to know 

about them. It also shares strategies participants suggested for engaging with youth who have 

incarcerated parents, strategies for programs trying to reach youth who have an incarcerated 

parent, and strategies for getting the word out about programs that reach youth like them. All 

youth who participated in the listening session have reviewed this language and have agreed that 

this accurately represents their perspective.
American Institutes for Research Listening Session Summary—7

What youth with incarcerated parents want you to know about them

 We rely on our own inner strength

 We often grow up too soon taking on responsibilities:

o Taking care of younger siblings

o Getting jobs to help with family finances

o Negotiating care such as physical and mental 

health services

o Navigating systems and avoiding negative attention from child welfare or human services 

who might take us or our siblings away

 We face difficulties with the absence of a parent:

o Missing big events like holidays and graduation

o Missing small activities like helping with 

homework and going to sporting events

o Missing everyday opportunities like being a role model

 We are misjudged by many and negatively judged because of our parent(s) or our parent’s actions

 We are sometimes told we will turn out like our parent(s) and we are constantly fighting against 

and running from that judgment

 We have different experiences than other youth whose 

parent is absent for another reason like divorce:

o Not being able to pick up the phone and talk to our 

parent any time we want

o Not being able to hug our parent during a visit

o Judged differently 

 We have different experiences even from each other:

o Living with our parent or not

o Knowing or having a relationship with our incarcerated parent or not

o Being told the truth about the incarceration or not

o Being involved with child welfare or not

o Being involved with juvenile justice or not

 We are not different from other youth in that we are young 

people, too, with the same needs and wants:

o To be loved

o To have support

o To be successful

o To have friends

 We do not have control over the situation which is 

difficult:

o We don’t know what to expect with the incarceration process or when visiting our parent 

in a facility

o We don’t know with any certainty when we will be able to talk to or see our parent again

“The toughest thing [about my 

father’s incarceration] is seeing 

my mom struggle with money.”

-R.K., 17 — Austin, TX

“You become mentally 

incarcerated with your parent.”

-B.A., 22 — Little Rock, AR

“It’s hard when you have no 

one to talk to.”

-D.E., 17 — Philadelphia, PA

“Not knowing how long your 

parent has until you see them 

again. Anything can happen in 

prison, you can get killed or hurt 

really bad. When you see your 

mom or dad, you look at them 

like it’s your last visit. That’s 

something I feel.”

-D.E., 17 — Philadelphia, PA
American Institutes for Research Listening Session Summary—8

Youth Ideas for Change

The youth participants offered feedback for policy makers and adults who work with youth who have or 

have had an incarcerated parent, as well as advice for implementing them. 

Strategies for engaging youth who have incarcerated parents 

 Get to know us: we are not statistics; we are youth who come from different backgrounds and 

family circumstances 

 See us for who and what we are

 Know yourself: be aware of the assumptions and biases that you may have about us

 Let us know we can trust you. Be reliable and predictable. Listen without judgment

 Respect our right to confidentiality

 Help us to help each other by providing us with opportunities to gather together

 Help us channel our emotions into making a positive change through advocacy

 Honor our inner strength: don’t feel sorry for us

 Build trust with caregivers so we stop worrying about upsetting them if we talk to other adults

 Work with caregivers to encourage truth telling about the incarceration

Strategies for providing effective supports and services for children of 

incarcerated parents 

 Provide training and on-going supervision that includes:

o Accurate statistics about children and families of 

the incarcerated

o Strategies for respecting family relationships and 

circumstances

o Understanding self-awareness and bias

o Skills for building trust

o Strategies for helping children and their parents 

and caregivers communicate about difficult topics

 Involve youth of incarcerated parents and their families in 

decisions about programs, policies and practices

 Design programs that train older children of incarcerated 

parents to be mentors for younger children of incarcerated parents

 Provide college scholarships for children of the incarcerated or assist us in accessing such 

scholarships when available

 Offer transportation options and coordination to help youth get to visit their incarcerated parent

 Offer family counseling and guidance to youth and their incarcerated parents (this is especially 

important given the limited opportunity and time for calls and visits)

 Provide relevant and age appropriate guidance on the entire incarceration experience from arrest 

to reentry including:

o What families and the incarcerated parent can expect at each stage in the process

o Help finding job training

o Help finding stable housing 

“It’s important to have a more 

extensive network of mentors. 

They really made a difference. 

When you have an adult figure 

who is being taken away and 

punished, you internalize that. 

You have a mentor, you have 

someone to look up to, who 

won't replace your parents, but 

who is a resource.”

-G.Z., 23 — Austin, TX
American Institutes for Research Listening Session Summary—9

 Offer safe, comfortable ways for youth to share what is happening in their lives, understanding 

they may have fear about mandatory reporting rules7

 Provide information and help for coping with the unpredictable nature of managing relationships 

with caregivers and following correctional policy as we attempt to connect and communicate with 

our incarcerated parent

Strategies for making policies and practices more responsive to the needs of 

children of incarcerated parents

 Corrections staff should receive training that emphasizes:

o That visits are supposed to be a positive experience 

for families

o That respectful treatment and interactions with the 

family and the incarcerated parent are what is 

expected by children of incarcerated parents

 When possible given safety and security considerations, courts should sentence and correctional 

agencies should place incarcerated parents at facilities close to their children and families, as 

closer proximity increases the chances for opportunities to visit and maintain family relationships

 Correctional policy should promote visitation practices that are child and family friendly and 

empower parent-child relationships by:

o Increasing time for visits

o Providing information to families ahead of time via 

documents or websites about rules for visiting 

o Informing families when incarcerated parents are 

moved to another facility

o Adjusting clothing restrictions to be more 

reasonable and providing optional changes of clothing

 Correctional facilities should charge reasonable prices for phone calls and allow for longer calls 

to empower maintenance of parent-child bonds

 Correctional policies and practices should simplify and expedite approval forms when necessary 

(e.g., when the parent is transferred to a new facility or when names and numbers of potential 

visitors change)

 Agencies should understand the complexities of 

collaboration with and between other agencies (such as 

schools and corrections) because of confidentiality 

requirements

 

7 All states require that if certain defined persons know or suspect that child abuse is going on, they report the abuse to the

authorities. These mandatory reporting laws were instituted to help promote awareness of child abuse and early intervention, if 

possible. To that effect, the laws make reporting quite straightforward. In most states, reports are anonymous and there is 

generally no reason to be hesitant about making a report if you genuinely suspect that child abuse is occurring. The laws of most 

states do not punish people for making a good faith effort to report child abuse. A reporter might, however, be punished if he or 

she was reporting child abuse without any basis for such a belief, and if the report was motivated entirely by a desire to get the 

reported person in trouble with the law — known as malice.”

Source: http://family.findlaw.com/child-abuse/checklist-are-you-a-mandatory-reporter-of-child-abuse.html

“Give me straightforward 

rules/guidelines for what is 

appropriate to wear and what to 

bring to see your parent.”

-D.E., 17 — Philadelphia, PA

“The facility is run down and 

isn’t safe. Just because it’s a 

prison doesn’t mean it can be 

unsanitary or unsafe.”

-L.A., 16 — New Hampshire

“The guards make you feel like 

you’re the prisoner when you 

go to see your parent.”

-A.N., 21 — New Britain, CT
American Institutes for Research Listening Session Summary—10

 Schools should allow periodic prison visits as excused absences

 Schools and correctional agencies should collaborate to allow incarcerated parents to participate 

in school conferences via video or phone when appropriate

 Child welfare agencies should collaborate with correctional agencies to insure on going contact 

and visits for children in foster care

Strategies for getting the word out about the programs and services that are 

available to children of incarcerated parents

 Join with youth to create advocacy groups to increase public awareness and promote funding and 

expansion of services

 Use communication methods like posters and post them everywhere — schools, public libraries, 

health clinics

 Advertise on websites frequented by youth (such as Pandora and Facebook)

 Use celebrity spokespeople (e.g. musicians and sports figures) who can contribute to reducing 

stigma and shame

 Create lists of available resources and make them accessible

 Have a social media campaign

 Use public services announcements

 Have mass assemblies at school (like there are for MADD)8

 

8Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is a nonprofit organization in the United States and Canada that seeks to stop drunk 

driving.
American Institutes for Research Listening Session Summary—11

Appendix A: Participant background infographic9

3 reported their mothers were incarcerated

8 reported their fathers were incarcerated

4 reported both parents were incarcerated

 

9 Data were gathered for the infographic via SurveyMonkey prior to the Listening Session. N for each item may vary 

because not all participants responded to the survey, nor were they required to answer all questions. See Appendix C 

for the full list of questions.

0-2 years

old

3-5 years

old

6-9 years

old

10-13

years old

14-17

years old

18-21

years old

Over 21

years old

13.3%

20.0%

73.3%

66.7%

60.0%

13.3% 13.3%

< 1 year 1-2 years 3-5 years 6-10 years 11-15

years

16-20

years

> 20 years Multiple

sentences

Other

7.7% 7.7% 7.7% 7.7%

23.1%

7.7%

15.4%

38.5%

0.0%

5 out of 13 reported that their parent(s) 

served multiple sentences

0-2 years old

20.0%

3-5 years old

13.3%

6-9 years old

40.0%

10-13 years old

20.0%

14-17 years old 6 out of 15 reported 6.7%

that they were 

6-9 years old 

at their parent(s)’ 

first incarceration

the majority 

reported that they were 

6-17 years old 

across their parent(s)’ 

sentences
American Institutes for Research Listening Session Summary—12

8 reported living with their 

parent immediately prior to the 

incarceration

7 reported not living with 

their parent immediately prior to the

incarceration 

All15 youth have siblings...

8 reported negative effects

of incarceration on sibling relationship

5 reported positive relationships

during parents’ incarcerations

5 reported personal or sibling involvement in the 

juvenile or criminal justice system

Other parent

57.2%

Grandparent

28.6%

Another family 

member

7.1%

Foster family

7.1%

Fighting 

Drifting apart 

Being separated

Not knowing each other

Living with different family members

Sticking together

Becoming closer { Caring for each other

{

8 out of 14 reported 

that they lived with 

their other parent 

during the incarceration
American Institutes for Research Listening Session Summary—13

6 reported communicating via letter 

3 reported communicating via phone

3 reported communicating in person

3 reported communicating via other methods

3 reported not communicating

Weekly

33.3%

Daily

20.0%

No 

communication

20.0%

Every 2 weeks

13.3%

Every 6 months

6.7%

Once per year

6.7%

5 out of 15 reported that 

they communicated 

weekly with their 

incarcerated parent(s) 

No visit

28.6%

Every 3-4 months

Every 2 weeks 21.4%

14.3%

Monthly

14.3%

Once per year

14.3%

Weekly

7.1%

4 out of 14 reported that 

they did not visit 

their incarcerated parent(s)
American Institutes for Research Listening Session Summary—14

3 reported being less than 20 miles from incarcerated parent

2 reported being 21-50 miles from incarcerated parent

3 reported being 51-100 miles from incarcerated parent

3 reported being 101-200 miles from incarcerated parent

3 reported being more than 200 miles from incarcerated parent

3 reported being less than 30 minutes from incarcerated parent

2 reported being 31-60 minutes from incarcerated parent

5 reported being 1-2 hours from incarcerated parent

1 reported being 2-3 hours from incarcerated parent

3 reported being more than 3 hours from incarcerated parent

10 reported using a car to travel to incarcerated parent

1 reported using a bus to travel to incarcerated parent

2 reported using a train to travel to incarcerated parent

2 reported using other means to travel to incarcerated parent
American Institutes for Research Listening Session Summary—15

9 reported relying on others for 

transportation to incarcerated parent

5 reported not relying on others for 

transportation to incarcerated parent

5 out of 14 reported availability of special 

event days at their parents’ incarceration facility

5 out of 15 reported access to 

community support programs 

“Sometimes your legal 

guardian doesn’t want to 

take you to see your 

incarcerated parent.”

-A.N., 21 — New Britain, CT

“I think ... the barriers ... kept 

people from communicating 

(visiting, age), the finances (phone 

bills), lack of transportation to visit.”

-W.A., 17 — San Francisco, CA

“Some mentors will drive 50 

miles for you to see your 

parents, there needs to be 

more of that.”

-D.A., 18 — Portland, OR

LISTENING SESSION QUESTION:

“What services (programs, supports) did you draw upon and what helped you the most?”

“When I was younger I was in centers and 

Arkansas Voices, but as I got older there was 

nothing there for us. Once you hit 13 or 14 you 

have to deal with it on your own. I was with other 

kids, so it made me feel it wasn’t just me. At the 

time, the group I was in, everyone’s mom was in 

the same prison, so that made it easier too.”

 -B.A., 22 — Little Rock, AR

“I was in the Osborne Association. They 

organized trips with our parents and there 

were other kids there. That helped because

I thought I was the only kid in the world 

going through this. Other kids would ask 

what’s wrong, but I didn’t know if they would 

use that information against me or judge me.

-H.A., 16 — New York, NY

“Basketball helped me a lot. My mom liked 

basketball, and it helped me so much, like I'm doing 

this for you. Now I'm in Girl Scouts [and] I get to play 

basketball with my mom and do different activities, 

like ... draw pictures with her.”

-D.E., 17 — Philadelphia, PA

“I'm in School Club POPS. It’s writing club where 

you don’t have to talk about what you’re going 

through, you can just write. For me it’s better than 

talking. POPS has been really supportive.”

-A.M., 15 — Los Angeles, CA

“I turn to my talents. I stopped fighting because that 

wasn’t giving me anything except suspensions. I'm a 

poet, well I'm a lot of things, but I turned to writing. I 

formed public speaking skills, because my goal is to 

go into prisons to talk to dads.”

-W.A., 17 — San Francisco, CA
American Institutes for Research Listening Session Summary—16

Yes

66.7%

No

33.3% 10 out of 15 reported 

having a parent return

from being incarcerated

LISTENING SESSION QUESTION:

“What are your suggestions for preparing parents and young people for reentry?”

“I was not prepared at all. After he 

came home after nine years, it felt like 

we had a stranger at home.”

-A.N., 21 — New Britain, CT

“When my dad got out when I was in 

third grade, he came by my school

and I didn’t know. I ran up to him but 

didn’t want to cry and be made fun of. 

Nobody understood that I hadn’t seen 

my dad in years.”

-W.A., 17 — San Francisco, CA

“My biggest fear is if my mom does come home, people 

might try to get revenge on her/harm her. You never 

know what could happen to them when they are out.”

-D.E., 17 — Philadelphia, PA
American Institutes for Research Listening Session Summary—17

Appendix B: Organizations represented by the youth 

participants:

1. Amachi Pittsburgh — Pittsburgh, PA

2. Arkansas Voices — Little Rock, AR

3. Big Brothers Big Sisters — Flagstaff, AZ

4. Central Connecticut State University — New Britain, CT

5. Circles and Ciphers — Chicago, IL

6. Echoes of Incarceration — New York, NY

7. Family and Children’s Services — Tulsa, OK

8. Family Connections — NH

9. Girl Scouts Beyond Bars — Philadelphia, PA

10. Northwest Family Services — Portland, OR

11. Osborne Association — New York City, NY

12. Our Children’s Place of Coastal Horizons Centers — NC

13. POPS (Pain of the Prison System) — Los Angeles, CA

14. Project WHAT (We’re Here and Talking) — San Francisco, CA

15. Seedling Foundation — Austin, TX 

16. US Dream Academy — Indianapolis, IN

17. Women in Recovery — Tulsa, OK

Appendix C: Pre-Listening Session Questions

Survey Questions Sent Prior to the Listening Session

These are the questions participants answered via SurveyMonkey prior to attending the listening session.

1. Which of your parents is or has been incarcerated?

a. Father b. Mother c. Both father and mother

2. How long is/was their incarceration?

a. Less than one year

b. One to 2 years

c. 3 - 5 years

d. 6 - 10 years

e. 11 - 15 years

f. 16 - 20 years

g. Longer than 20 years

3. How old were you when your parent was first incarcerated? 

a. 0 - 2 years of age

b. 3 - 5 years of age

c. 6 - 9 years of age

d. 10 - 13 years of age

e. 14 - 17 years of age

f. 18 - 21 years of age

g. Over 21 years of age

4. What were your ages during their incarceration? (check as many as needed)

a. 0 - 2 years of age

b. 3 - 5 years of age

c. 6 - 9 years of age

d. 10 - 13 years of age

e. 14 - 17 years of age

f. 18 - 21 years of age

g. Over 21 years of age

5. Were you living with your parent before they were incarcerated?

a. Yes b. No

6. With whom are you living or did you live during your parent’s incarceration?

a. My other parent

b. Grandparent

c. Another family member 

other than grandparent

d. Foster family

e. Other (Box for response)

7. Do you have brothers or sisters? If yes, please respond to questions 8, 9, and 10. If no, please skip to 

question 11.

a. Yes b. No
All rights reserved. September 2016

8. How was your relationship with them or other family members affected by your parent’s incarceration? 

(Box for response)

9. Were you separated from siblings as a result of your parent’s incarceration? (Box for response)

10. Have your siblings been involved with juvenile justice or criminal justice system? (Box for response)

11. How often do/did you communicate with your parent?

a. Daily

b. Weekly

c. Every two weeks

d. Monthly

e. Every 3 to 4 months

f. Every 6 months

g. Once per year

h. No communication while my 

parent was incarcerated

12. How do/did you communicate with your parent? (check all that apply)

a. Letter

b. Phone

c. Email

d. Video 

e. In person

13. How often do/did you visit your incarcerated parent?

a. Daily

b. Weekly

c. Every two weeks

d. Monthly

e. Every 3 to 4 months

f. Every 6 months

g. Once per year

h. No visit while my parent was 

incarcerated

14. How far away is/was your parent?

a. Less than 20 miles

b. 21 to 50 miles

c. 51 to 100 miles

d. 101 to 200 miles

e. More than 200 miles

15. How long does/did it take to get there to visit your parent?

a. Less than 30 minutes

b. 30 - 60 minutes

c. 1 - 2 hours

d. 2 - 3 hours 

e. More than 3 hours

16. How can/could you get there to visit your parent?

a. Car

b. Bus

c. Train

d. Walk

17. Do/did you rely on someone else to help you get there?

a. Yes b. No

18. Are there special event days for families or children at the facilities where your parent is/was incarcerated 

such as family day, picnics, graduation or honors program? If yes, please explain in the box below. If no, 

skip to question 19.

a. Yes (Box for response) b. No

19. Are/were there support programs in your community that helped you maintain connection with your parent 

and with coping in general?

a. Yes b. No

20. Have you had a parent return home from being incarcerated?

a. Yes b. No c. My parent is still incarcerated
American Institutes for Research Listening Session Summary—19

Appendix D: Listening Session Questions

Questions for Youth:

These are the questions that the youth participants answered during the listening session.

1. Personal Experience.

 How did you find out about your parent’s incarceration? What were you told?

 What was or has been the toughest challenge you have faced having an incarcerated parent?

 What personal strengths do/did you draw upon during your parent’s incarceration?

 Based on your experience, what is the most important thing affecting youth with an incarcerated parent?

 How are/were your needs different from the needs of other youth with an incarcerated parent?

 How are/were your needs different from the needs of other youth with a parent who is absent for other 

reasons? 

 How are/were your needs different from the needs of other youth without an absent parent? 

 What are your biggest worries/ concerns?

 What is the most important thing you would say to a friend whose parent was just incarcerated?

2. Services.

 How was school for you while your parent was incarcerated? What support or lack of support did teachers 

or school staff provide?

 At any stage of your experience with having an incarcerated parent, was a child welfare agency involved 

with your family? What support or lack of support did they provide? 

 What services (i.e., programs, supports) did you draw upon and what helped you the most (e.g., afterschool programs, boys and girls clubs, or other youth development programs, employment opportunities)?

 How was your health/healthcare/mental healthcare affected by your parent’s incarceration? 

 Who was helpful to you and how did they help you (e.g., employer, mentor, relative, family friend; helping 

with coping, transportation, listening, resources — financial and other)?

 What services (i.e., programs, supports) do you wish had been available to you?

3. Communication. Some of you mentioned [letters, phone, email, video] as a mean of communication:

 Does/did this form and frequency of communication work for you? Why?

 If not, how would you change it?

4. Visitation. Some of you mentioned visiting [number of times]:

 Is/was visiting important to you? Why?

 Please describe the visits. 

Possible probes: 

o What is/was the security process like?

o Can/could you touch your parent?

o Are/were there child-friendly visitation rooms? (Describe characteristics and what made it so.)

o Are/were there toys and activities you can/could do together?

 What do/did you enjoy the most about your visits? Why?

 What was your best visit? What made it the best and stand out?

 Have/were the visits ever cancelled? Do you remember why?

 What are/were the most challenging aspects during the visits? Why?

 What would make these visits better? 

 How do/did you feel before, during, and after the visits?

5. Reentry. Some of you mentioned having had a parent return home after incarceration:

 How did you prepare for their return? 
American Institutes for Research Listening Session Summary—20

 Did people try to prepare you and your family for your parent’s return?

 Was it helpful? In what ways was it helpful or not?

 What was it like when they returned (e.g., family relationships, roles, living situation)? How did your 

expectations compare with reality?

 What person or activity or circumstance could have helped you prepare?

6. Conclusion.

 If you could make one policy change that would have helped you what would it be?

 If you could say one thing to the researchers, practitioners, and policy makers here or to the public about 

having an incarcerated parent what would you say?

 What didn’t we ask you that we should have?

Questions for Chaperones

These are the questions that the chaperones answered during the listening session.

1. Youth Experiences.

 What role do you play in the life of a child with an incarcerated parent (e.g., parent, sibling, mentor, agency 

staff)? 

 What are the typical ways that the youth and families you are a part of, know, or work with, discuss the 

incarceration of a family member? How do the children find out? What are they told?

 What is the toughest challenge that the youth or families you are a part of, know, or work with, face due to 

having an incarcerated parent?

 What personal strengths do you draw upon to support the youth as they cope with having an incarcerated 

parent?

 Based on your experience, what is the most important thing affecting youth with an incarcerated parent?

 How are their needs different from the needs of other youth with a parent who is absent for other reasons? 

 How are their needs different from the needs of other youth without an absent parent? 

 What are your biggest worries or concerns about working with or caring for a youth with an incarcerated 

parent?

 What is the most important thing you would say to a youth whose parent was just incarcerated?

2. Services.

 Do you know and/or do youth talk about how school is while their parent is incarcerated? What support or 

lack of support did teachers or school staff provide?

 Do you know and/or do youth say anything about child welfare agency involvement with their family? If 

so, what do they say? What support or lack of support did child welfare provide? 

 Do you know and/or do youth talk about what services (i.e., programs, supports) help them the most (e.g.,

after-school programs, boys and girls clubs, or other youth development programs, employment 

opportunities)?

 Do you know how the youth’s health/healthcare/mental healthcare has been affected by their parent’s 

incarceration? 

 Who do youth say have been helpful to them and how did they help (e.g., employer, mentor, relative, 

family friend; helping with coping, transportation, listening, resources — financial and other)?

 What services (i.e., programs, supports) do you wish were available to these youth?

3. Communicating. Some youth mentioned [letters, phone, email, video] as a means of communication:

 In your opinion, does this form of communication work? Why?

 How are you able to assist the youth with communicating?

 If not, how would you change it?
American Institutes for Research Listening Session Summary—21

4. Visiting. Some youth mentioned visiting:

 How do you help prepare youth for visiting their parent?

 What do you see in their behavior or demeanor before and after the visit?

5. Reentry.

 How do you help prepare youth for their parent’s return? 

 How do you support youth if their parent is serving a very long sentence and will not be returning in the 

near future?

6. Adult Experiences. Given all that we know about the statistics and about how hard it is to share this story, it is 

possible that some of you also experienced the incarceration of a parent. “If any of you want to — we would 

like to hear about your experiences” or “Some of you have shared earlier that you are...”

 Are you an adult child of an incarcerated parent?

If yes:

 Which of your parents is or has been incarcerated (e.g., Mother, Father, Both)?

 How long is/was their incarceration?

 How old were you when your parent was first incarcerated? What were your ages during their 

incarceration?

 Were you living with your parent before they were incarcerated?

 With whom did you live during your parent’s incarceration?

 Do you have brothers or sisters? How was your relationship with them or other family members affected by 

your parent’s incarceration? Were you separated from siblings as a result of your parent’s incarceration? 

Have you or your siblings been involved with juvenile justice system?

 How often did you communicate with your parent (e.g., monthly, weekly, daily)? How (e.g., letters, phone, 

email, video)?

 How often did you visit your incarcerated parent?

 How far away was your parent? How long did it take to get there to visit your parent? How did you get 

there to visit your parent (e.g., car, bus, train)? Did you rely on someone else to help you get there?

 Were there special event days at the institution(s) where your parent was incarcerated (e.g., picnics, holiday 

parties)?

 Did you have a parent return home from being incarcerated?

 Do you currently have an incarcerated parent?

7. Conclusion.

 If you could make one policy change that would have helped youth what would it be?

 If you could say one thing to the researchers, practitioners, and policy makers or to the public about having 

an incarcerated parent what would you say?

 What didn’t we ask you that we should have?
American Institutes for Research Listening Session Summary—22

Appendix E: Video Vignette Questions

Video Vignettes during Children of Incarcerated Parents Listening Session

These are questions that the youth who taped a video vignette answered. Priority questions are bolded.

Opening orientation for interviewees:

Everybody attending this listening session has a parent who is or has been in prison; but each person’s story of what 

it’s been like to have an incarcerated parent, is different. We set up these individual conversations so that we could 

hear a few individual stories in depth. I’d like to hear yours. I’m going to ask you a few questions, but if at any 

point, you think we’re not getting to the most important part of your story, please tell me and we’ll shift focus.

1) Can you start at the beginning? Tell us about your whole family you were living with, right before 

your parent was incarcerated.

2) How did you learn that your parent was going to be incarcerated? Did anyone help you understand 

what that would mean for you? What do you remember about your reaction?

3) What kind of contact have you had with your parent who is incarcerated? Did it change over time? 

4) How have people close to you responded to the fact that your parent was incarcerated? Have your 

relationships changed because of your parent being incarcerated?

5) What has been the most challenging part of having your parent be incarcerated? What has helped you the 

most with that challenge?

6) What would you say to another youth whose parent has just been incarcerated, to encourage them to 

look for support?

7) What advice do you wish someone had given you, at any point since you learned your parents was 

going to be incarcerated?

8) If you could create one perfect service for youth with incarcerated parents, what would it be?