Gatekeepers of Contact: Child-Caregiver Dyads and Parental Prison Visitation

As gatekeepers, caregivers play a pivotal role in the facilitation of parental prison contact, and some caregivers may be more likely to take children to visit than others. As expected, the current study confirmed that children with grandmothers as caregivers and children with mothers as caregivers were more likely to visit their fathers and mothers in prison compared to inmates whose children had caregivers who were not their mothers or grandmothers. Logistic regression analyses determined this in both maternal and paternal models, independent of controls. Child situational factors, prisoner characteristics, stressors, and institutional barriers also predicted visits; although effects differed depending upon which parent was in prison. By providing insight into the maintenance of family ties during confinement, this study informs research and policy with respect to prison contact and reentry. 72 references (Publisher abstract modified)