Growth in the US incarcerated population over recent decades has brought a burgeoning body of res... more Growth in the US incarcerated population over recent decades has brought a burgeoning body of research on parent-child visitations in correctional facilities. In contrast to this research, which has largely focused on prisons, this study reports survey results from over 900 visitors and incarcerated adults in an urban jail system. We center our attention on the commonality of children visiting jail incarcerated parents, the ways in which a jail system may facilitate or hamper the visitation process, and opinions on potential visiting policy modifications, including the use of video visiting. Implications for jail visitation policies are discussed.
Drawing on two phases of a longitudinal qualitative study, this chapter explores the immediate an... more Drawing on two phases of a longitudinal qualitative study, this chapter explores the immediate and longer-term implications of maternal incarceration for children. Following an overview of the familial and societal context in which children experience maternal incarceration, the chapter reviews key findings from Siegel’s (Disrupted childhoods: Children of women in prison. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2011) Disrupted Childhoods: Children of Women in Prison, a study of 67 children with criminal justice-involved mothers. Then, drawing from follow-up interviews with 13 of the original child participants, the chapter examines the adult children’s views of the long-term effects of maternal incarceration. Now young adults ranging in age from 19 to 28, participants reflect back on the ways that maternal incarceration and reentry affected them as children, and they discuss how maternal incarceration, as well as other familial stressors, continues to shape their transition to adulthood.
Qualitative research has the potential to give voice to the lived experiences of children of inca... more Qualitative research has the potential to give voice to the lived experiences of children of incarcerated parents. This chapter highlights the contributions that key qualitative studies have made to our understanding of topics such as children’s reactions to parental incarceration; sustaining parent–child relationships during incarceration; and the stigma facing the children of incarcerated parents. Methodological challenges associated with conducting qualitative research are discussed. Recommendations for future directions include the need for more research that examines children’s experiences with their parent’s involvement in different stages of the criminal justice system as well as examinations of demographic differences and resilience among children of incarcerated parents.
Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 07418820802427858, Jul 23, 2009
ABSTRACT Research evidence on the prevalence of physical victimization inside prison settings has... more ABSTRACT Research evidence on the prevalence of physical victimization inside prison settings has grown in precision and specificity. Considerably less explored are the factors predicting physical victimization. Using a sample of approximately 7,000 male inmates, a multilevel predictive model of victimization was estimated that includes characteristics of the individual and environment. Overall, prisons with poorer climates (higher levels of inmate dissatisfaction with officers and/or other inmates) had higher rates of inmate-on-inmate and staff-on-inmate victimization. The effect of inmate characteristics on victimization varied by type of perpetrator. Younger inmates, whites, and those with convictions involving sexual victimization were more likely to report physical victimization by other inmates. Characteristics increasing the likelihood of being physically assaulted by staff included non-white, convicted of a violent crime, and higher education. Knowing the characteristics of prisons and inmates that elevate their risk for victimization provides facilities with information that can inform prevention strategies (n = 147).
Using data drawn from a prospective study of 206 urban, predominantly low-income, African America... more Using data drawn from a prospective study of 206 urban, predominantly low-income, African American women, sexually victimized before they turned 13 in the early 1970s, and a matched comparison group, this article explores whether child sexual abuse was a risk factor for revictimization and examines the role of other factors in the risk of victimization. Child sexual abuse before the age of 13 was not by itself a risk factor for adult victimization, but those who were also victimized as adolescents were at much greater risk of adult sexual victimization than other women. Additional risk factors included measures of sexual behavior and alcohol problems.
People inside prison have above-average rates of childhood and adult victimization. Little is kno... more People inside prison have above-average rates of childhood and adult victimization. Little is known, however, about the relationship between types of victimization inside prison and that experienced in childhood. This article estimates rates of victimization for male and female inmates by type of perpetrator and form of victimization (sexual, physical, either, or both) and their association with types of childhood victimization (sexual or physical). Data for these estimates are based on a random sample of approximately 7,500 inmates housed in 12 adult male prisons and one adult female prison in a single state. The significance of the findings for practice are discussed along with recommendations to improve the health and welfare of people inside prison.
ABSTRACT Research evidence on the prevalence of physical victimization inside prison settings has... more ABSTRACT Research evidence on the prevalence of physical victimization inside prison settings has grown in precision and specificity. Considerably less explored are the factors predicting physical victimization. Using a sample of approximately 7,000 male inmates, a multilevel predictive model of victimization was estimated that includes characteristics of the individual and environment. Overall, prisons with poorer climates (higher levels of inmate dissatisfaction with officers and/or other inmates) had higher rates of inmate-on-inmate and staff-on-inmate victimization. The effect of inmate characteristics on victimization varied by type of perpetrator. Younger inmates, whites, and those with convictions involving sexual victimization were more likely to report physical victimization by other inmates. Characteristics increasing the likelihood of being physically assaulted by staff included non-white, convicted of a violent crime, and higher education. Knowing the characteristics of prisons and inmates that elevate their risk for victimization provides facilities with information that can inform prevention strategies (n = 147).
Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 2003
Child sexual abuse has been hypothesized to be an especially significant factor in the etiology o... more Child sexual abuse has been hypothesized to be an especially significant factor in the etiology of girls’ delinquency and women’s crime. This article reports on a prospective study of 206 women who, in the period from 1973 to 1975, were treated in a hospital emergency room in a major city following a report of sexual abuse. Their subsequent juvenile and adult criminal records were compared to a matched comparison group. Child sexual abuse was a statistically significant predictor of certain types of offenses, but other indicators of familial neglect and abuse were significant factors as well.
This longitudinal study examines the effects of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) on the intimate and ... more This longitudinal study examines the effects of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) on the intimate and marital relationships of adult survivors from a sample composed primarily of African American women. In addition, the authors explore the protective role of maternal support. Interview data are collected on 136 women with documented histories of CSA who indicate the quality and nature of their current marital relationships and other interpersonal connections. Results suggest that CSA survivors with poor maternal attachment are more likely to enter into marital or cohabiting relationships. However, more severe sexual trauma in childhood correlates with greater marital dissatisfaction. Good maternal attachment during childhood has a negative main effect on adult interpersonal problems and a buffering effect on the relationship between abuse and marital dissatisfaction. These data can help guide future research on the adult relational outcomes of female CSA survivors, especially among minority populations.
This study estimates prevalence rates of inmate-on-inmate and staff-on-inmate physical victimizat... more This study estimates prevalence rates of inmate-on-inmate and staff-on-inmate physical victimization. Inmate participants were drawn from 13 adult male prisons and 1 female prison operated by a single mid-Atlantic state. A total of 7,221 men and 564 women participated. Rates of physical victimization varied significantly by gender, perpetrator, question wording, and facility. Prevalence rates of inmate-on-inmate physical violence in the previous 6 months were equal for males and females. Men had significantly higher rates of physical violence perpetrated by staff than by other inmates. By facility, inmate-on-inmate prevalence rates ranged from 129 to 346 per 1,000, whereas the range for staff-on-inmate was 83 to 321 per 1,000 (but the difference was not statistically significant).
This study is a prospective investigation of adult sexual revictimization among 113 Black women w... more This study is a prospective investigation of adult sexual revictimization among 113 Black women with documented histories of childhood sexual abuse. The purpose was to obtain information on the frequency of sexual abuse in both childhood and adulthood and to determine which characteristics of the child sexual abuse were predictive of revictimization. Thirty percent of the participants were revictimized and physical force predicted subsequent victimization. This study also investigated possible sexual behavioral correlates of revictimization. Revictimized women reported more involvement in prostitution and partner violence. Finally, the present study considered the reproductive and sexual health correlates of revictimization. When compared to women abused in childhood only, revictimized women experienced more problems conceiving, repeated vaginal infections, sexually transmitted diseases, and painful intercourse. Suggestions for intervention are discussed.
The current study examined (a) maternal depression as a mediator between mothers' complex tra... more The current study examined (a) maternal depression as a mediator between mothers' complex trauma exposure and parenting difficulties and (b) protective factors within a sample of adult survivors of complex child and adult trauma. Participants were a sample of 152 women selected from 174 women interviewed in the third wave of a longitudinal study of a hospital sample of girls. The women in the current study represent a subsample that includes all participants who had given birth to a child. Measures included assessments of women's own trauma history and parenting outcomes. Higher rates of trauma exposure were related to decreased parenting satisfaction, reports of child neglect, use of physical punishment, and a history of protective service reports. These links were partially mediated by the relationship between trauma exposure and increased maternal depression. Exploratory analyses were also conducted to examine protective factors for fewer parenting problems within a furth...
Literature on gender and child sexual abuse (CSA) has highlighted patterns of similarity and diff... more Literature on gender and child sexual abuse (CSA) has highlighted patterns of similarity and difference among survivors and the need for further research. This study relied on gender analysis of 128 women and 69 men, obtained through an examination of childhood hospital records, to further examine gender differences in mental health outcomes among abuse survivors and correlates of mental health outcomes including professional help seeking, family environment, and other trauma exposure. Overall, men and women were similar in the context and consequences of CSA. The role of the characteristics of CSA and contextual variables in explaining variance in mental health for 106 male victims and nonvictims was also examined. Among male participants, number of incidents of sexual abuse, injury at the hands of a caregiver, and exposure to other traumas significantly explained higher levels of an array of mental health symptoms. Implications for future research are discussed.
Growth in the US incarcerated population over recent decades has brought a burgeoning body of res... more Growth in the US incarcerated population over recent decades has brought a burgeoning body of research on parent-child visitations in correctional facilities. In contrast to this research, which has largely focused on prisons, this study reports survey results from over 900 visitors and incarcerated adults in an urban jail system. We center our attention on the commonality of children visiting jail incarcerated parents, the ways in which a jail system may facilitate or hamper the visitation process, and opinions on potential visiting policy modifications, including the use of video visiting. Implications for jail visitation policies are discussed.
Drawing on two phases of a longitudinal qualitative study, this chapter explores the immediate an... more Drawing on two phases of a longitudinal qualitative study, this chapter explores the immediate and longer-term implications of maternal incarceration for children. Following an overview of the familial and societal context in which children experience maternal incarceration, the chapter reviews key findings from Siegel’s (Disrupted childhoods: Children of women in prison. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2011) Disrupted Childhoods: Children of Women in Prison, a study of 67 children with criminal justice-involved mothers. Then, drawing from follow-up interviews with 13 of the original child participants, the chapter examines the adult children’s views of the long-term effects of maternal incarceration. Now young adults ranging in age from 19 to 28, participants reflect back on the ways that maternal incarceration and reentry affected them as children, and they discuss how maternal incarceration, as well as other familial stressors, continues to shape their transition to adulthood.
Qualitative research has the potential to give voice to the lived experiences of children of inca... more Qualitative research has the potential to give voice to the lived experiences of children of incarcerated parents. This chapter highlights the contributions that key qualitative studies have made to our understanding of topics such as children’s reactions to parental incarceration; sustaining parent–child relationships during incarceration; and the stigma facing the children of incarcerated parents. Methodological challenges associated with conducting qualitative research are discussed. Recommendations for future directions include the need for more research that examines children’s experiences with their parent’s involvement in different stages of the criminal justice system as well as examinations of demographic differences and resilience among children of incarcerated parents.
Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 07418820802427858, Jul 23, 2009
ABSTRACT Research evidence on the prevalence of physical victimization inside prison settings has... more ABSTRACT Research evidence on the prevalence of physical victimization inside prison settings has grown in precision and specificity. Considerably less explored are the factors predicting physical victimization. Using a sample of approximately 7,000 male inmates, a multilevel predictive model of victimization was estimated that includes characteristics of the individual and environment. Overall, prisons with poorer climates (higher levels of inmate dissatisfaction with officers and/or other inmates) had higher rates of inmate-on-inmate and staff-on-inmate victimization. The effect of inmate characteristics on victimization varied by type of perpetrator. Younger inmates, whites, and those with convictions involving sexual victimization were more likely to report physical victimization by other inmates. Characteristics increasing the likelihood of being physically assaulted by staff included non-white, convicted of a violent crime, and higher education. Knowing the characteristics of prisons and inmates that elevate their risk for victimization provides facilities with information that can inform prevention strategies (n = 147).
Using data drawn from a prospective study of 206 urban, predominantly low-income, African America... more Using data drawn from a prospective study of 206 urban, predominantly low-income, African American women, sexually victimized before they turned 13 in the early 1970s, and a matched comparison group, this article explores whether child sexual abuse was a risk factor for revictimization and examines the role of other factors in the risk of victimization. Child sexual abuse before the age of 13 was not by itself a risk factor for adult victimization, but those who were also victimized as adolescents were at much greater risk of adult sexual victimization than other women. Additional risk factors included measures of sexual behavior and alcohol problems.
People inside prison have above-average rates of childhood and adult victimization. Little is kno... more People inside prison have above-average rates of childhood and adult victimization. Little is known, however, about the relationship between types of victimization inside prison and that experienced in childhood. This article estimates rates of victimization for male and female inmates by type of perpetrator and form of victimization (sexual, physical, either, or both) and their association with types of childhood victimization (sexual or physical). Data for these estimates are based on a random sample of approximately 7,500 inmates housed in 12 adult male prisons and one adult female prison in a single state. The significance of the findings for practice are discussed along with recommendations to improve the health and welfare of people inside prison.
ABSTRACT Research evidence on the prevalence of physical victimization inside prison settings has... more ABSTRACT Research evidence on the prevalence of physical victimization inside prison settings has grown in precision and specificity. Considerably less explored are the factors predicting physical victimization. Using a sample of approximately 7,000 male inmates, a multilevel predictive model of victimization was estimated that includes characteristics of the individual and environment. Overall, prisons with poorer climates (higher levels of inmate dissatisfaction with officers and/or other inmates) had higher rates of inmate-on-inmate and staff-on-inmate victimization. The effect of inmate characteristics on victimization varied by type of perpetrator. Younger inmates, whites, and those with convictions involving sexual victimization were more likely to report physical victimization by other inmates. Characteristics increasing the likelihood of being physically assaulted by staff included non-white, convicted of a violent crime, and higher education. Knowing the characteristics of prisons and inmates that elevate their risk for victimization provides facilities with information that can inform prevention strategies (n = 147).
Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 2003
Child sexual abuse has been hypothesized to be an especially significant factor in the etiology o... more Child sexual abuse has been hypothesized to be an especially significant factor in the etiology of girls’ delinquency and women’s crime. This article reports on a prospective study of 206 women who, in the period from 1973 to 1975, were treated in a hospital emergency room in a major city following a report of sexual abuse. Their subsequent juvenile and adult criminal records were compared to a matched comparison group. Child sexual abuse was a statistically significant predictor of certain types of offenses, but other indicators of familial neglect and abuse were significant factors as well.
This longitudinal study examines the effects of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) on the intimate and ... more This longitudinal study examines the effects of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) on the intimate and marital relationships of adult survivors from a sample composed primarily of African American women. In addition, the authors explore the protective role of maternal support. Interview data are collected on 136 women with documented histories of CSA who indicate the quality and nature of their current marital relationships and other interpersonal connections. Results suggest that CSA survivors with poor maternal attachment are more likely to enter into marital or cohabiting relationships. However, more severe sexual trauma in childhood correlates with greater marital dissatisfaction. Good maternal attachment during childhood has a negative main effect on adult interpersonal problems and a buffering effect on the relationship between abuse and marital dissatisfaction. These data can help guide future research on the adult relational outcomes of female CSA survivors, especially among minority populations.
This study estimates prevalence rates of inmate-on-inmate and staff-on-inmate physical victimizat... more This study estimates prevalence rates of inmate-on-inmate and staff-on-inmate physical victimization. Inmate participants were drawn from 13 adult male prisons and 1 female prison operated by a single mid-Atlantic state. A total of 7,221 men and 564 women participated. Rates of physical victimization varied significantly by gender, perpetrator, question wording, and facility. Prevalence rates of inmate-on-inmate physical violence in the previous 6 months were equal for males and females. Men had significantly higher rates of physical violence perpetrated by staff than by other inmates. By facility, inmate-on-inmate prevalence rates ranged from 129 to 346 per 1,000, whereas the range for staff-on-inmate was 83 to 321 per 1,000 (but the difference was not statistically significant).
This study is a prospective investigation of adult sexual revictimization among 113 Black women w... more This study is a prospective investigation of adult sexual revictimization among 113 Black women with documented histories of childhood sexual abuse. The purpose was to obtain information on the frequency of sexual abuse in both childhood and adulthood and to determine which characteristics of the child sexual abuse were predictive of revictimization. Thirty percent of the participants were revictimized and physical force predicted subsequent victimization. This study also investigated possible sexual behavioral correlates of revictimization. Revictimized women reported more involvement in prostitution and partner violence. Finally, the present study considered the reproductive and sexual health correlates of revictimization. When compared to women abused in childhood only, revictimized women experienced more problems conceiving, repeated vaginal infections, sexually transmitted diseases, and painful intercourse. Suggestions for intervention are discussed.
The current study examined (a) maternal depression as a mediator between mothers' complex tra... more The current study examined (a) maternal depression as a mediator between mothers' complex trauma exposure and parenting difficulties and (b) protective factors within a sample of adult survivors of complex child and adult trauma. Participants were a sample of 152 women selected from 174 women interviewed in the third wave of a longitudinal study of a hospital sample of girls. The women in the current study represent a subsample that includes all participants who had given birth to a child. Measures included assessments of women's own trauma history and parenting outcomes. Higher rates of trauma exposure were related to decreased parenting satisfaction, reports of child neglect, use of physical punishment, and a history of protective service reports. These links were partially mediated by the relationship between trauma exposure and increased maternal depression. Exploratory analyses were also conducted to examine protective factors for fewer parenting problems within a furth...
Literature on gender and child sexual abuse (CSA) has highlighted patterns of similarity and diff... more Literature on gender and child sexual abuse (CSA) has highlighted patterns of similarity and difference among survivors and the need for further research. This study relied on gender analysis of 128 women and 69 men, obtained through an examination of childhood hospital records, to further examine gender differences in mental health outcomes among abuse survivors and correlates of mental health outcomes including professional help seeking, family environment, and other trauma exposure. Overall, men and women were similar in the context and consequences of CSA. The role of the characteristics of CSA and contextual variables in explaining variance in mental health for 106 male victims and nonvictims was also examined. Among male participants, number of incidents of sexual abuse, injury at the hands of a caregiver, and exposure to other traumas significantly explained higher levels of an array of mental health symptoms. Implications for future research are discussed.
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Papers by Jane Siegel