The main thing Grits took away from the presentation was that Texas doesn't appear to keep track of this issue very closely. They provided national estimates I'd seen before on how many incarcerated women have kids, but TDCJ doesn't know how many prisoners are mothers (or fathers) or how many children each has, much less where those kids are. Nor does Child Protective Services keep track of how many removals involve children with incarcerated parents. The schools, certainly, aren't keeping track.
What little Texas does know about these kids is unimpressive. For example, they know how many women gave birth after entering TDCJ: 561 over the period 2015-17, with 9.3 percent ending up with CPS and 71 percent with the fathers.
A mentoring program aimed at children of incarcerated parents, Amachi Texas, had a two-year budget of $1.3 million for FY 2018-19, said LBB. But that's not much annually for a statewide program with tens of thousands of kids potentially eligible. Anyway, since no one has bothered to identify children with incarcerated parents, clearly the Amachi program couldn't locate most of them to mentor, regardless, and isn't funded to meet such a gaping need.
Though it's not an original line, I've repeated many times on this blog that you cannot manage what you can't measure.
Given the extent to which having an incarcerated parent is a significant risk factor for children to later engage in crime, providing support for them while their parent is away conceivably could have significant crime-deterring effects. But Texas can't even define the scope of that problem, much less measure inputs and outcomes to see what works best to prevent crime among these youth. They have been forgotten by the system.
With just a bit of ramp-up time, it wouldn't cost TDCJ or CPS much to identify youth with incarcerated parents. As soon as they began, we'd understand a lot more about the scope of the problem and the state could begin planning to address the needs identified. In addition to mentoring, some kids may need tutoring, transportation assistance, clothing vouchers, access to summer programs, jobs and internships; there is all sorts of stuff youth in that situation might need. And anyone interested in promoting long-term public safety should be anxious for the state to help. Without better information about them, though, it's a pretty safe bet nothing will happen.
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6 comments:
No body found means there was no murder, right?
Why hasn't the FBI investigated the guy who was tortured at Skyview and Boyd units?
FBI Dallas has his name and picture, as do several hundred staffers on Capitol Hill.
CPS has ruined many families with the help of the judicial system, just to gain revenue. Children belong with their parents or family member, they need to feel that they belong.
Opinion: Too many greedy commercial attorney's.
Another opinion: The death penalty should only be for proven mass murderers, who have shown that they have no conscience or respect for life.
There is so much need--two free meals a day at school is just the start. In addition to mentoring, some kids may need tutoring, transportation assistance, clothing vouchers, access to summer programs, jobs and internships; there is all sorts of stuff youth in that situation might need. And anyone interested in promoting long-term public safety should be anxious for the state to help.
The father is not involved and now the mother is not available. When we say the state should help, doesn't that mean us, the taxpayer?
If TDCJ were to identify just how many of these at risk youth there are, wouldn't that then open them up to a ton of criticism? I mean come on, TDCJ refuses to spend the appropriate amount of funds for proper medical care for the incarcerated, why the heck would they willingly participate in this initiative?
Ya know, if them criminals did not want their kids going to prison, then perhaps they should have thought about that before they committed that crime, right?
Right?
I could care less which incarcerated individuals are mothers or fathers. Sucks to get caught, but caught and found guilty is what happened.
@Lewis, what you're really saying is "I don't care if there's more crime in the future." Interventions early prevent criminality later. Besides, the parent may have been found guilty, but that does not justify punishing their progeny.
@He's innocent, I don't expect TDCJ to do this on their own. I'm suggesting the Legislature make them. TDCJ's "willingness" or aversion to criticism are not my concern.
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