He lei poina 'le ke keiki: Advocacy and collaborative opportunities for children of incarcerated parents in Hawai'i

Abstract

The plight of children impacted by parental incarceration is among the most pervasive problems challenging modern corrections practices. Today, one or both parents of more than two million children in the U.S. are in prison. Hawai‘i also has seen an alarming increase in the number of children whose parents are incarcerated. More than 6,000 Hawai‘i children have at least one parent in prison. Children whose parents have been incarcerated face unique difficulties. Most experience vulnerability to fear, sadness, depression and guilt. The severe behavioral consequences include emotional withdrawal, delinquency and risk of intergenerational incarceration. These findings cry out for a response. Child welfare planners and other policymakers must rethink strategies to bring advocacy and collaborative opportunities to children deprived by parental incarceration. I will investigate ongoing and emerging issues for children of incarcerated parents in Hawai‘i. To guide positive change, I will also use information from the limited number of programs and resources already in place for these at-risk children. Based on my personal experience and on research traditions informed by Native Hawaiian epistemology, my research will culminate with the design of a pilot program He lei poina ‘ole ke keiki, that is, “a lei never forgotten is the child.”