Article

Safeguarding children during the arrest of their primary carer mothers: The role of the police

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Abstract

In Australia, the female prisoner population is expanding, with the majority also being mothers of dependent children. Research has demonstrated that witnessing the arrest of a family member, particularly a parent, can have both an immediate and long-term impact on children’s well-being. Yet, little is known about what causes these outcomes and how children are responded to by police during the arrest process. The aim of this study is to investigate incarcerated primary carer mothers’ perspectives on their arrest circumstances, its impact on their children, and police responses to their children during the arrest process. This study draws on secondary data from 36 primary carer mothers arrested in Victoria, which were originally gathered for an Australian Research Council-funded project. Results show that in around one-half of cases children are present at their mothers’ arrest. The location and time of the arrest can mediate children’s involvement in the arrest scene. Overall, police do not respond well to these children, with discussion between police officers and the mothers about suitable care for children occurring in less than two-thirds of cases. It can be concluded that children’s needs are not fully addressed at the arrest process. More child-sensitive arrest practices are recommended.

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... Parental incarceration makes children suffer to a large extent because of their vulnerability, fragile ages, and allied risks (Ashraf & Farhad, 2021). It has potential, behavioral, educational, emotional, and physical health consequences on the children (He & Flynn, 2019). A few studies have illuminated the trauma of witnessing parental arrest on children, often longer term (Dallaire & Wilson, 2010;Phillips & Zhao, 2010), revealing a potential mechanism influencing children's outcomes (He & Flynn, 2019). ...
... It has potential, behavioral, educational, emotional, and physical health consequences on the children (He & Flynn, 2019). A few studies have illuminated the trauma of witnessing parental arrest on children, often longer term (Dallaire & Wilson, 2010;Phillips & Zhao, 2010), revealing a potential mechanism influencing children's outcomes (He & Flynn, 2019). The absence of parent(s) is traumatic for the child and impacts children's overall development. ...
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... In addition, we found that the systems did not explicitly support the parenting role; this finding is particularly relevant to child protection systems and the criminal justice system (Flat Out Inc. and VACRO, 2006;Flynn, 2008) which must work more collaboratively to ensure that the needs of the family are prioritized (Trotter et al., 2015). This issue has been highlighted by a substantial body of research on parenting and the criminal justice system (Flynn, Bartlett, Fernandez Arias, Evans, & Burgess, 2015;Flynn, Naylor, & Arias, 2016;Fowler et al., 2017;He & Flynn, 2019;Pridmore et al., 2017;Saunders & MacArther, 2013;Sheehan, 2010;Trotter et al., 2015). Importantly, the agencies and services do not always consider the specific needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and their children including considering the effects of intergenerational trauma, child removal, and culturally safe models for services and programs (Baldry, 2009;Baldry et al., 2008a;Baldry et al., 2008b;Walker et al., 2019). ...
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This study used data from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-being to test the hypothesis that witnessing the arrest of a household member is significantly associated with elevated PTS symptoms. Analyses are based on data on 1869 children ages 8 and up who were subjects of reports of maltreatment. Results show that the children child welfare authorities encounter who have witnessed arrests are significantly more likely to have also (1) witnessed multiple types of violence in their homes, (2) been victims of multiple types of violence, (3) witnessed non-violent crimes, and (4) lived in families having problems meeting children's basic needs. Results of multivariate analyses indicate that, all else being equal, witnessing the arrest of a household member either alone or in conjunction with the recent arrest of a parent is predictive of elevated posttraumatic symptoms. Approximately 1 in 4 children who witnessed an arrest and also had a recently arrested parent had elevated symptoms of posttraumatic stress.
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We examined the psychosocial maladjustment of 32 children with an incarcerated parent from the child’s perspective as well as from the perspective of their caregiver. We focused on the relation between the incarcerated parent’s report of children’s exposure to parental criminal activity, arrest, and sentencing and caregivers’ and children’s self-reports of maladjustment. Results indicate that witnessing these events is associated with more behavior problems according to caregivers’ and children’s self-reports. Moreover, incarcerated parents’ reports of children’s exposure to these events predicted caregivers’ and children’s reports of maladjustment over a 6 month period. Our results also suggest that children with incarcerated mothers, in comparison to children with incarcerated fathers, are exposed to more of these events and may be experiencing greater maladjustment. Implications of these findings are discussed within a proactive context and the use of procedures that take children’s reactions to witnessing parental arrest and sentencing into consideration. KeywordsParental incarceration-Parental arrest-Risk-Child maladjustment-Jail
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