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Research has found that children who experience the incarceration of a parent may experience behavioral, psychological, and emotional problems. Studies have identified treatment programs and interventions designed to alleviate the long-term effects of parental incarceration on children. Limited research exists on the impact of treatment programs and interventions on these children. The purpose of this research was to determine if treatment programs are successful in reducing future incarceration rates for adults that experienced the incarceration of a parent during childhood. Research questions examined how treatment programs and interventions impacted the sample population. A phenomenological approach guided the study methods and purposeful sampling strategy guided selection of 20 participants 18 years or older, who experienced an incarcerated parent and experienced subsequent treatment programs or interventions. Face-to Face interviews were conducted using a modified version of The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Investigative Interview Protocol. Open coding was used to identify and analyze common themes that emerged from the interviews. The findings revealed that treatment and intervention significantly impacted participants. Participants believed exposure to resources that are not available in their environment assisted them with living productive lives without any incidents of being incarcerated. Treatment programs create positive social change by providing support that aids in reducing the potential incarceration rate for children in this category, equips them with the tools for living productive lives, and informs development of innovative programs.

Children of incarcerated parents are a hidden and growing population in schools. Currently in California, no systematic collection of data is gathered regarding prisoners' children. In 2000, approximately 9% of school-age children had a parent involved in the criminal justice system. Parental incarceration is a risk marker school personnel can use to trigger a concern that multiple risk factors are most likely present in the life of a student. Many of these children struggle academically and socially. Sixteen interviews were conducted with adults who as school-age children had a parent incarcerated. Only one of these adults earned a high school diploma through traditional means. Schools can begin to address this population's struggle to achieve academically by providing alternative opportunities. The underlying theme found threaded through the responses was the participants' need to feel normal. Strategies exist that school personnel can use to help these children understand that they can become resilient in the face of adversity and achieve a sense of normality. Most staff development programs do not directly address the needs of this population. This research identified many of the needs of these children and some promising practices that school personnel can use when working with children of incarcerated parents.

This qualitative multiple-case study sought to provide an in-depth understanding of how children living in broken families-due to the wrongful conviction of parent(s)-developed psychosocial issues. The theoretical frameworks applied to this study were the social learning theory, the social control theory, the role-modeling theory, and the general theory of crime. A purposeful sample of 13 adults who were children at the time of their parents’ wrongful incarceration were drawn for phone and in-person interviews. The data were transcribed and analyzed to code, sort, and organize; to analyze connections in the information, and to compare and contrast cases. The multiple-case study data were analyzed using 1st and 2nd cycle coding. Among the 10 themes identified in this study were these 5: family structure and activities, behavioral issues associated with the wrongful conviction of their parents, wrongful conviction effects on education, mental health impacts of a parental wrongful conviction on left-behind children and bullying in school and at home. This implications for positive social change are that the findings raise awareness of the psychosocial issues experienced by children whose parent(s) were wrongfully imprisoned for government officials, community leaders, policymakers, and justice reform advocates who can use them to implement programs to provide psychosocial assistance to all children of incarcerated parents.