Simple text and 46 full-color illustrations assist children in understanding what life is like if a parent goes to jail.
Recommended for ages 5 to 14, this is a resource couched in gentle, supportive language. It includes a glossary of words that children may hear but not yet understand in such circumstances. It also explains why there are rules and consequences in the world. Because children with parents in prison are five times more likely to commit crimes and later become imprisoned themselves A(according to the National Association of School Psychologists), the book takes a preventive approach when dealing with at-risk children under stress.
Appropriate for counseling and professional settings, it is intended to guide children through trauma, guilt, anger, fear, shame and a number of other emotions.
-- Today's School Media Specialist
According to the National Association of School Psychologists there are approximately 1.5 million children in the United States with a parent in prison. Children with parents in prison are five times more likely than the average child to commit crimes and be imprisoned. By the next decade, one half of all prisoners will be from a family which had a parent in prison.
In When A Parent Goes To Jail, professional family counselors Rebecca Yaffe and Lonnie Hoade have successfully collaborated to provide an invaluable resource to children ages 5 to 14 with an incarcerated parent cope with the resulting psychological and behavioral traumas including the physical, emotional, and social stigmas, as well as feelings of guilt, anger, fear, and shame -- thereby guiding them in making wiser life choices that their parents did.
Unique and very highly recommended for use by parents and counselors, When A Parent Goes To Jail is a comprehensive and informative approach to prevention when dealing with the symptoms of children under the stress of parental incarceration.
-- Internet Bookwatch
Opening with the statement that there are consequences for breaking rules, the authors go through the entire incarceration process from arrest through fingerprinting to appearing before a judge and sentencing. They describe the feelings that children might be having (sad, angry, confused, etc.) and encourage them to talk about these emotions. Changes that might take place at home are mentioned, and visits to the incarcerated person are covered. The book ends by suggesting that there will be an adjustment to be made when the parent is released.
The very clear glossary adds to the usefulness of the text. A useful choice for guidance counselors when the situation arises.
-- School Library Journal
Dear Rebecca M. Yaffee & Lonnie F. Hoade,
My name is Nikki Byrd and I am the Special Project Associate who facilitates a program for the children of incarcerated parents at the KARE Family Center in Tucson, Arizona. DARE is a nonprofit organization that works primarily with kinship caregivers. I am writing you today to tell you how excellent your book When a Parent Goes to Jail is.
Your book has been utilized by so many of my clients to explain to the children just what has happened in their lives, what to expect and that it's ok for them to feel as they do. Thank you so very much for writing this wonderful book. It definitely puts parental arrest, court appearances, incarceration and home coming in terms children can understand. Many of my clients have commented on how the book has helped them answer difficult questions the children have. In fact, the book si so popular it gets checked out and is not returned. I have needed to purchase your book three times for the KARE library.
As I was purchasing yet another replacement copy this week, I knew I needed to contact you and congratulate you on this outstanding resource. This book is superb and I recommend it to all my clients and to other professionals who interact with this population. It is obviously valuable to the kinship caregivers, who add it to their permanent collections. Thank you again for taking the time to compose and publish this work.
Sincerely,
Nikki Byrd
Special Program Associate
KARE Family Center
Tucson AZ 85711
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