One in six adults in prison and more than half of the young people in youth justice centres have had a parent who had been imprisoned in NSW, according to a new report from the Australian Institute of Criminology.
The report, titled Intergenerational incarceration in New South Wales: Characteristics of people in prison experiencing parental imprisonment, used data from 1,132 adults in prison and 213 youth in youth justice centres from 2015.
Breaking it down by gender, for the adults who had at least one parent who had been imprisoned, 76.8% reported their father had been imprisoned; 12.1% reported it was their mother.
For both parents being imprisoned, the figure was 11.1%.
The young people who reported at least one parent had been imprisoned, 72.3% of those had only their father imprisoned, 13.4% said only their mother had been imprisoned, and 14.3% had both parents imprisoned.
Aboriginal people were also more likely to report a parent had been imprisoned.
Adults were two and a half times more likely to report a parent had been incarcerated and youth were twice as likely compared to non-Aboriginal people.
“The high prevalence of intergenerational incarceration in NSW correctional settings, particularly among young people in youth justice centres and Aboriginal peoples in custody, highlights the need for interventions to support parents in prison and at-risk children whose parents are incarcerated,” the report stated.
It was authored by Marc Rémond, Reem Zeki, Kelly Austin, Julia Bowman, Jennifer Galouzis, Kelly-Anne Stewart and Elizabeth Sullivan.
The report also found there was some indication mothers being incarcerated increased the likelihood their daughters would be incarcerated more than their sons.
The report stated there was no comprehensive, population-wide data on this issue making it difficult to compare the results.
“Programs to support children with parents in prison or at risk of imprisonment should be a priority, with culturally safe programs developed in partnership with Aboriginal communities,” the report concluded.
“It is also vital that in situations where mothers are incarcerated, they are supported in their mothering roles to provide the necessary care to their children.
“More generally, further work is required to implement a whole-of-government approach to disrupt the cycle of intergenerational incarceration and develop policies
and programs to address systemic disadvantage.”
The findings of the report come as the Queensland government announced it would pass laws that allow children to be charged with criminal offences for breaching bail conditions in an effort to crack down on youth crime.
Queensland police minister Mark Ryan acknowledged the new laws will contravene the state’s human rights legislation.
“In this exceptional case, the [Human Rights Act] is being overridden and its application entirely excluded from the operation of these new provisions to protect community safety,” the minister said.
Save the Children has criticised the move, saying it lacked meaningful community consultation.
Mena Waller, Queensland state director of 54 Reasons, said that jailing more children would exacerbate the situation.
“We cannot ignore the fact that many children who find themselves in touch with the justice system have themselves been victims of crime,” Waller said.
“The government should instead be adequately investing in early intervention services that are trauma-informed, that engage with and strengthen families, and that use effective diversionary approaches while also working with the community, and children and young people themselves, to find alternatives to detention.”
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