Children of Imprisoned Mothers

Quakers: Women in prison and their children...!

United Nations lobbying body reports on women in prison and their children. I thought that two recent publications from the Quaker group that lobbies the UN might be of interest to you.

This one is about the problems faced by and a bill of rights for the children of imprisoned mothers.

Imprisoned mothers has been the focus of a study and I am sure that the friends will realise that these rights apply equally to the children of imprisoned fathers.

The problem is, when you read the shocking statistics, there is a huge majority of women who are imprisoned who are sole carers for their children, and this has been the focus of this study. It is only 3 pages and includes a short draft of rights for the children.

Children of Imprisoned Mothers.pdf

This next one has more research and is longer. It has quoted sources and is quite academic looking, but you don't have to even lift a rock to find the sheer human misery that it describes.

Updated:

Women in Prison & Children of Imprisoned Mothers

Maybe some of the figures might be of use some time in a campaign.

The Quaker United Nations Offices located in Geneva and New York represent Friends World Committee for Consultation (Quakers), an international non-governmental organisation with General Consultative Status at the UN. QUNO works to promote the peace and justice concerns of Friends (Quakers) from around the world at the United Nations and other global institutions. It is supported by the American Friends Service Committee, Britain Yearly Meeting, the worldwide community of Friends, other groups and individuals.

Related Updated

SHINE for Kids
What happens for a young person who has a parent in prison?

There are a lot of consequences for children or young people who have a parent in prison. During Groupwork the kids themselves have identified as being:

• Isolated – feeling lonely
• Stigmatised – feeling they aren't as good as others
• Ostracised/ignored – left out
• Missing out
  • on time with Mum or Dad
  • on activities, because there isn't enough money
• Angry – at Dad, at Mum, at the police, at themselves
• Deserted – betrayed, let down
• Frightened
  • about Mum or Dad not being OK
  • about what is going to happen to them now
• Humiliated/embarrassed – most kids wouldn't dare tell any of their friends
• Stressed – stress can trigger anger/aggression, fits of crying, even bedwetting
• Guilty – a lot of kids feel like it is their fault that mum or dad is in jail
• Confused by changes in family dynamics
• Insecure – most kids no longer feel safe and secure, they miss their parent
• Low in self esteem
• Having to become the adult

Statistics indicate that at any one time approximately 15,000 students in NSW are directly affected by the imprisonment of a parent, and that 60,000 students under the age of 16 have experienced parental incarceration at some point in their lives. The peer groups of each of these students can also be affected indirectly.

By justiceACTION posted 3 February 05

Related Links:

Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO)
On-line Resources on Women in Prison

Prison System Fails Women, Study Says
State policies designed for violent men make female offenders' rehabilitation difficult, an oversight panel finds. "If we fail to intervene effectively in the lives of these women and their children now, California will pay the cost for generations to come," said Commissioner Teddie Ray, chairwoman of the subcommittee that produced the report.

Children at risk, lack of govt support
Let's take this further: The Federal Government has detained hundreds of young children and their families in desert detention camps locked in behind razor wire enclosures for the crime of fleeing persecution.

Senate inquiry finds PM 'misled' public on children overboard
Australian navy personnel rescue asylum-seekers from a sinking boat off Christmas Island in October 2001. The government came under attack in February 2002 for suggesting that asylum seekers had thrown their children overboard in an effort to stay in Australia.

Children at Abu Ghraib prison
....broadcast an eight-minute segment reporting that the International Red Cross found at least 107 children in coaliton-administered detention centers in Iraq. The report also quotes from a yet-unpublished June 2004 UNICEF report, which (as near as I can tell through my crappy German) confirms that children were routinely arrested and "interned" in a camp in Um-Qasr. UNICEF seems particularly vexed with the "internment" status, since that means indefinite detention.

Report recommends freeing child detainees
The Human Rights Commission has found that some children held in Australia's immigration detention centres have been exposed to cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment.

Civilian death toll to rise in Fallujah
The attack on the Iraqi city of Fallujah has taken its toll on Iraqi civilians no doubt including children and young babies. Iraqi's have witnessed civilian casualties. Yesterday during the assault on the main hospital nurses and patients were blindfolded after the US/Iraq militia stormed the main hospital and took control.

Parents on the inside leave children on the edge
Life in jail is an ordeal but it's a much harsher sentence for the child of a prisoner, writes Paola Totaro. 30 July 03.

Child detainees 'living in a nightmare', report finds
A report being released today documents disturbing evidence about mental health for children in detention centres.The report is a joint work by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, NSW University and NSW psychiatrists.

The children's crusader
It is all about prevention. As Fiona Stanley sees it, with one in five Australian teenagers experiencing significant mental health problems, there are just not enough treatment services to cope with the demand.

2nd Renaissance -36 Let The Girls Go! [263]
During 2003 an Australian woman, Kathleen Folbigg, was sentenced to 40 years in prison, with a non-parole period of 30 years. Her crime, which she continues to deny, was to consecutively smother her four children when they were aged between 8 and 19 months. She was largely convicted on the basis of entries in her private diary, although these did not specifically refer to her having killed her two sons and two daughters; only that she was her father's daughter. Her lawyers are appealing her conviction.

Fatherless Society "80-20 rule Vs 50-50 rule" family law

A Federal Parliamentary inquiry has heard that more children will grow up without fathers unless changes are made to family law. The committee is considering whether separated parents should share equal custody of their children.

Chief Justice of the Family Court, Justice Alistair Nicholson, last week told the inquiry shared custody would not work for most families and could have a detrimental impact on children.

But I would have thought that there were already detrimental impacts on children and parents hence the need for an inquiry.

Lone Fathers' Association spokesman, Jim Carter, says the Family Court has some old-fashioned ideas about the best interests of children. Mr Carter says surveys have repeatedly shown children want equal time with parents.

"The system appears to be leading in many cases something like a fatherless society, which cannot be in the best interests of the children," Mr Carter said.

"So our assessment of that is that there is a need for change. The rules and the administration of the rules in this whole area must change."

But the inquiry is being told that 50-50 custody may hurt children. [?]

How could equality hurt any form of rule?

A federal parliamentary inquiry has heard presumed joint child custody after a separation could be damaging to a young child's development. [Heard by who? If they're not willing to say who says what, then why do they have a right to say it? Because that person has not shown themselves or any biases.]

The inquiry is again taking evidence in Canberra, looking at an idea raised by the Prime Minister for automatic equal custody.

Liberal backbencher Peter Dutton says presumed 50-50 child custody could be needed because the Family Court system is failing separated families.

"We've got this template at the moment which is an 80-20 situation," he said.

But clinical psychologist Dr Jennifer McIntosh has argued against the 50-50 presumption when conflict is evident between parents. She says that occurs two thirds of the time.

"Presumption is unsafe if we're looking statistically at that population," She said.

[But the conflicts usually occur from something? What about child access?]

GKCNN spoke to Justice Action's caseworker Mr Gregory Kable, "Clinical psychologists involved in family law benefit from the 80-20 situation because of the additional tension created by the rule.

For instances when judges order psychologists to interview the family including the children of the marriage and report to the court. These people are worse than the pharmaceutical companies," he said.

Professor Lawrie Moloney, from La Trobe University, says the assumption of joint custody is offensive.

"You don't treat the child as an object," he said.

Mr Kable said, "Professor Lawrie Moloney is not helping anyone understand the issue, because the court is deciding on the breakdown of a family into parts in the first place, because their parents don't get on."

"It is my understanding that they're deciding where each part should be satisfied equally."

The inquiry is in its second month and it will report back by the end of the year.

By Dear Old Dad 20 October 2003

Related:

Australia to tackle child abuse and rescue impoverished children?
A national report on child protection in the Northern Territory has blasted the system, saying it has abandoned the most impoverished children and families in Australia.

ATSIC call to smack kids?
The ATSIC commissioner said the high levels of regulation was not unlike the attention focused on Aboriginal families that led to the creation of a Stolen Generation of Aboriginal people. Mr Hill said he did not condone violence and admitted he did not smack his own children, but he stressed he wanted the issue of child discipline debated among Aboriginal people and community leaders.

No-Smacking Day for Children in NSW
Patmalar Ambikapathy the Children's Commissioner, HOBART Tasmania spoke to Gregory Kable a caseworker at Justice Action at the Controlling Crime Conference at Redfern in Sydney yesterday and we both realised how parallel our ideas about crime prevention were.

Judge renews child detainee release call
A Family Court judge, for a second time, has appealed to Immigration Minister, war criminal, Philip Ruddock to address the issue of children in detention.

Partnership to tackle Aboriginal children's health issues
Australian of the Year Professor Fiona Stanley has called for a sense of urgency in tackling the serious health problems facing Aboriginal children.

Graffiti: What they see is what you get
Father David Equal, a community leader has described the graffiti as the response to neglect by Australia's leaders, and the mainstream media, who have discriminated against people, recently.

Ruddock to challenge Family Court ruling
Ruddock said it is unfortunate the Full Court of the Family Court made the decision. He said a successful High Court challenge could see the children returned to detention.

Men told to change role but what for?
Fathers must take an equal role in parenting before their marriages end in divorce if changes to child custody laws are going to work, Pru Goward said yesterday.

Parents on the inside leave children on the edge
They have been dubbed the forgotten generation - the innocent casualties of their parents' crimes. New research shows that in 2001 14,500 NSW children had a parent in jail. And 60,000 NSW children under 16 have experienced the incarceration of a parent, more than half enduring the trauma of separation before they turn five.

States to cooperate on school curriculums but social skills don't rate? State and territory education ministers say Federal Education Minister Brendan Nelson's heavy-handed threats to school funding will not assist their ambitious initiative to develop consistent school curriculum’s in key subjects.[?]

Family Law: Shared parenting arrangements
My children were four and two years of age and it's been fourteen years since I seen my children who are now adults. I don't know where they are because the government fragmented us by order of the Family Court of Australia, which should be called, the Anti-Family Court of Australia. Big yawn!!!

School Curriculum needs balance? Life Skills and Academic Skills go hand in hand man Colin you need to be the students friends not their judge. Only when you can invite the students into the decision making process will you get an obligation by them to change their behaviour, because you Colin could lead by example and not by power.

Australian fathers under terrorist attack-by its Politicians
Ruthless terrorists tactics are used by the state deny devoted fathers their children, and place vulnerable children at risk when they are denied their fathers protection. Five hundred thousand Australian children are denied contact with their father usually resulting from orders of the state by the Family and other Courts.

When is Michael Richardson going to remove the offending Family Court affidavit from the NSW Parliament website? Criminal: Hills district MP Michael Richardson. When is he going to remove these uncorroborated lies and family court pleadings on the confidential Family Court affidavit from the NSW Parliament website?

NSW education professor warns further commitment needed
The author of a report on the New South Wales education system has urged the major political parties to do more for education in the election campaign.

Fiona Stanley, the children's crusader
It is all about prevention. As Fiona Stanley sees it, with one in five Australian teenagers experiencing significant mental health problems, there are just not enough treatment services to cope with the demand.

Parents call for feedback on social skills
Parents are calling for the same level of feedback on their children's social development as on their academic progress, according to a national survey.

Call to update suicide prevention strategy: study
A four-year study of suicides by people under the age of 18 in New South Wales, has found little difference between rates of suicide in rural and regional areas and cities.

Alcohol is just the beginning
People who start using alcohol by their mid teens are more than twice as likely as others to experiment with different drugs and to become dependent on drugs a major Australian study has found.

The punishment: Is the 'crime'
The punishment is the crime according to retired chief Justice of the Family Court of Australia Justice Alistair Nicholson. "Smacking a child ought to be seen as assault".

RESTORING TRUE JUSTICE:
Australian prisons are fast becoming the new asylums of the third millennium. The prison industry is booming, while Australia spends far less on mental health services than similar countries.

The Seed
Respect, you only get out what you have put in. What about Life Skills, Communication and Conflict Resolution. Evolution, perhaps some children and adults miss the whole or part of the course. I did, and so how surprised do you think I was when I realised my parents missed the course as well. Things like Compromise, Win Win, Empathy, and Love. Invisible energy and other skills like public speaking, how to Relate, Assuming, Blaming, Forgiveness, Freedom and Discrimination. This is how I learned respect. If you don't know what it is then how do you relate?

The Law According to Gregory Wayne Kable
I was sharply separated from both my children aged just 4 years and two years and sent to prison for the manslaughter of my wife. I cared for my children when my wife worked and I believe that I still had a responsibility to them even after the crisis situation and tragedy. I wanted to reassure them now and find out how they were doing.

Men told to change role but what for?

Who puts the garbage out?

Fathers must take an equal role in parenting before their marriages end in divorce if changes to child custody laws are going to work, Pru Goward said yesterday.

But Pru Goward is out of touch said, Mr Equal, It's been that way for a very long time.

"That men have taken up their share of the politics of family."

Who puts the garbage out?

Sorry it's not fathers who must, Pru darling! But parents, excuse me honey.

The Sex Discrimination Commissioner who needs a new job took issue with plans for automatic 50-50 shared child custody laws proposed by the Prime Minister.

Ms Goward said the plan had to be part of a major re-think of male attitudes to work and family roles.

But Mr Equal said stereotyping males into some form of normal roll is just nonsense. Mr Equal from the human race said, people have to re-think about attitudes to work and family roles. Why discriminate against males? He said.

Ms Goward said, "The [men's] movement wants 50-50 care arrangements post-divorce, without any suggestion that men will have to put in equal parenting time while the marriage is intact or that they will need to re-arrange their lives if they want to be more involved after separation," she said.

[Now Ms Goward wants to go into your home and change your family, because men have decided they're equal, which is what women decided 20 years ago when they burnt their bra's.]

Ms Goward said these issues should be considered by the parliamentary inquiry examining the 50-50 custody plan.

Mr Equal said, when you break down people into categories and labels then you lose your ability to solve a problem, in this case parenting. "How do you know how any unique individual family needs to survive?"

"No family is the same and therefore no formula is the same. People do their best and what they are best at," he said.

Ms Goward: "Shared caring has to start before the divorce," she said. "It could drive exactly the change that the women's movement wants if it's done wisely.

"But if it is just seen as parents' rights and children's interests get forgotten, it could be very deleterious."

Mr Equal: " Shared caring has to start when you are born and when you first opened your eyes." [Nurture Nature] But if it's just seen as a mother's right and fathers and children's interests get forgotten, it could be very deleterious and even fatal.

Ms Goward warned of a possible new gender war unless men shared more of the burden of child rearing, and more of the career sacrifices needed to raise a family.

Mr Equal warned Ms Goward's bias towards gender issues and stereotyping technics could lead to a gender war "Unless people start to see parenting solutions equally and holisticaly instead of breaking people down into categories and labels.

"Trying to give people in families normal rolls is not realistic because parents like people do their best with the skills they have attained up until the time a child was born."

"Parents need to put their resources and ideas together and come up with solutions in order to survive. " he said.

Ms Goward, "Equality between men and women has hit a brick wall, and only the engagement of men in the struggle for work and family balance will move equality closer," she told the Women, Management and Employment Relations Conference in Sydney.

Ms Goward called for men to start using family-friendly work entitlements, such as unpaid parental leave and more flexible hours. She urged bosses, from CEOs down, to encourage rather than penalise men who did so.

"In reality, we do not live in a society which tolerates or venerates men who do part-time work or leave work early to pick up a sick child," she said.

Ms Goward's remarks are the first significant response by a prominent woman since the proposal for custody law changes were floated and it shows how urgently we need to start being equal as parents with attitudes like that floating around.

Ms Goward: "Our culture is such that these men are more likely to be seen as uncommitted to their careers to an even greater extent than women who allow their family life to intrude into their working life," she said.

Mr Equal's, remarks are the first significant response by a prominent man since the proposal for custody law changes were floated and it shows how urgently we need to start being equal as 'people' with attitudes like that floating around.

Mr Equal: "Our culture is such that this woman who is the "Sex Discrimination Commissioner" is bias towards men. How can that be that Ms Goward not only holds this position but still has a job and can influence a large majority of people with such nonsense?"

Mr Equal warned that Ms Goward is on a "collision course."

Ms Goward warned that work and family life were on a "collision course". Many women had to work to help pay hefty family mortgages in Melbourne and Sydney, while others wanted a career; and female participation in the workforce was needed to sustain current economic growth.

Mr Equal: "Was that Goward or Howard?"

Ms Goward, "There is only one discretionary 'choice' area: the number of children we have," she said. "No wonder the number of only-child families has increased from one in five families in 1981 to one in three families in 2001."

Mr Equal: " Many people had to work to help pay hefty family mortgages in Melbourne and Sydney, Perth, WA, QLD, Tasmania and the Northern Territory while others wanted a career: and parent participation in the workforce was needed to sustain current economic growth."

"There is not only one discretionary 'choice' area by the way: And there will never be only one discretionary choice area in any family arrangements." he said.

Ms Goward, said national leadership was necessary if men were to be encouraged to share housework and childcare duties and make more career sacrifices to do so. But she complained the men best placed to play this role political leaders in Canberra did not have family-orientated lives.

Federal Government proposal to abolish the post of Race Discrimination Commissioner

I write to alert you to a Federal Government proposal to abolish the post of Race Discrimination Commissioner (together with the posts of Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Disability Discrimination Commissioner, Human Rights Commissioner and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner).

Mr Equal, said national leadership was necessary if people were to be encouraged to be equal and share housework and childcare duties and make more career sacrifices to do so. Do people wait until after they're divorced to want more of a role in parenting? send us your feedback. It's time for equality: Whitlam Dec 2 2002.

By People 25 July 03 Work and Family Reporter

Related:

Family Law: Shared parenting arrangements
My children were four and two years of age and it's been fourteen years since I seen my children who are now adults. I don't know where they are because the government fragmented us by order of the Family Court of Australia, which should be called, the Anti-Family Court of Australia. Big yawn!!!

80-20 Family Court rule irrational: Martian
A Martian came down from Mars and he noticed that children were the products of a father and a mother. When the family split up the children were still the products of a father and a mother.

Fatherless Society "80-20 rule Vs 50-50 rule" family law
A Federal Parliamentary inquiry has heard that more children will grow up without fathers unless changes are made to family law. The committee is considering whether separated parents should share equal custody of their children.

Australian fathers under terrorist attack-by its Politicians
Ruthless terrorists tactics are used by the state deny devoted fathers their children, and place vulnerable children at risk when they are denied their fathers protection. Five hundred thousand Australian children are denied contact with their father usually resulting from orders of the state by the Family and other Courts.

Australian fathers under terrorist attack-by its Politicians

Ruthless terrorists tactics are used by the state deny devoted fathers their children, and place vulnerable children at risk when they are denied their fathers protection. Five hundred thousand Australian children are denied contact with their father usually resulting from orders of the state by the Family and other Courts.

Children denied their fathers protection are 7-10 times more likely to be physically and/or sexually abused.

Since the anti-Family Court was established, an equivalent number of fathers have been driven to suicide as a result of being denied their children as Australian soldiers killed in the Second World War (26,000)

Fathers can receive a knock on their door, be evicted out of their homes by federal or state police, with guns drawn or behind their backs; from homes they may have built with their own hands, based on politically correct allegations, a situation that can automatically place vulnerable children in danger when their fathers protection is removed from their lives.

Child abuses are walking from their trials with a smile on their face while fathers are disproportionally represented in the jail population, for breaching orders of the state. Usually restraining orders which are unnatural barriers placed between them and their children.

The feminist lobby are demanding that special jails be constructed ( labour camps ) to house men who continually breach restraining orders and that men who fail to pay maintenance to their ex-wives be prevented from fathering more children. [?]

The politicians are aware the anti Family Court, which denies children their natural fathers , openly advocates that homosexuals be permitted to adopt children. This is a terrorist attack on the basic laws of nature.

P M Howard and Premiers , Carr, Bracks, Beattie, Gallop , Rann, Bacon and Martin, you and your fellow politicians while appeasing the feminist lobby to gain the female vote, have created a reign of terror against fathers and children that would embarrass Nazi Germany.

Only when politicians live in fear of fathers, after a massive well organised similar attack of politicians by father's groups, will cause politicians! to stop the rampaging assault on Australian society by monstrous feminist groups that have infiltrated government departments of power.

I have been arrested 9 times , twice in my own home ( 4 times while in court !) placed in handcuffs 14 times , even while being taken to and from a cell to court, ( also charged with assaulting police while wearing handcuffs !! ), as a result of me resisting the tyranny that has denied me any contact or knowledge of my children, now for nearly 10 years.

Note, there has not even been an allegation that I have harmed any of my seven children. The cost to the taxpayer to deny me my children, now exceeds $ 500,000.

This itself is a terrorist attack on the taxpayer.

By Ian Kay posted 31 April 03

Ed: I have not had any contact or knowledge with/of my two children for 15 years and they have lost a family who cares. Fact is most people in Australia today raise other peoples children. If the other people decide not to care for them, down the track, then you may well find them being cared for in an institution or jail. If they have entered an institution they will end up in jail, statistics prove it.

Updated 2009

Initially, my children were sleeping in bed at 'their home', the wife rang police as she had left the house and wanted them now. The police came to my home and put a gun to my head. Hand over the kids or die.

Your matter was cheap by the way. The NSW government spent about 3 Million dollars of taxpayers money, at the very least, preventing me having access and custody of my children. As I was sent to prison for nearly five years for her manslaughter, eventually killing my wife in a crisis situation over access after a 12 month dispute in the bias anti-Family Court, who denied me access.

Then the State of NSW made a law for one man called the Community Protection Act 1994, which was struck down by the High Court.

The authorities then placed my children in protective custody, and legislated them to be stolen by people, who were not even related to them, without my 'authority or consent'.

Placed me on social services for 20 years to date because no one would employ me - after I was made 'public enemy number one' and 'vilified' for a state election.

Now I am suing the State government for false imprisonment for 7 months and assault. All because as you said the feminist lobby and the very bias Anti-Family Court.

When is Michael Richardson going to remove the offending Family Court affidavit from the NSW Parliament website?

Criminal: Hills district MP Michael Richardson. When is he going to remove these uncorroborated lies and family court pleadings on the confidential Family Court affidavit from the NSW Parliament website?

Related:

Judicial, mental health and police corruption
Ian Kay, who blew the whistle on judicial and police corruption here in Victoria has recently been improperly incarcerated in MAP Prison, Melbourne for doing nothing more than writing a letter of complaint to his local MP.

Fatherless Society "80-20 rule Vs 50-50 rule" family law
A Federal Parliamentary inquiry has heard that more children will grow up without fathers unless changes are made to family law. The committee is considering whether separated parents should share equal custody of their children.

80-20 Family Court rule irrational: Martian
A Martian came down from Mars and he noticed that children were the products of a father and a mother. When the family split up the children were still the products of a father and a mother.

When is Michael Richardson going to remove the offending Family Court affidavit from the NSW Parliament website? Criminal: Hills district MP Michael Richardson. When is he going to remove these uncorroborated lies and family court pleadings on the confidential Family Court affidavit from the NSW Parliament website?

Getting Justice Wrong DPP make full admissions
It was an extreme example of parliament attempting to act as accuser and judge by prescribing a civil penalty against a citizen who was otherwise entitled to freedom.

The Law According to Gregory Wayne Kable
I was sharply separated from both my children aged just 4 years and two years and sent to prison for the manslaughter of my wife. I cared for my children when my wife worked and I believe that I still had a responsibility to them even after the crisis situation and tragedy. I wanted to reassure them now and find out how they were doing.