| Abstract: | Abstract It is axiomatic in the literature that parenthood exacerbates the pains of imprisonment for women. A corollary is that it has a lesser impact on incarcerated men. We have attempted here to establish an empirical foundation for concluding that incarceration affects fathers and mothers differently. Using a national survey of jailed parents to compare mothers and fathers on a number of variables, we found clear differences which persisted through two survey years. Jailed mothers were more likely than jailed fathers to have minor children and to have been living with their minor children at arrest. Their children were more likely to have experienced a change in caretaking because of their arrest than were the children of jailed fathers. Incarceration does, in fact, pose greater problems for mothers than for fathers. |
