Fathers in Prison: Impact of Parenting Education

Journal of Correctional Education, Jun 2004 by Bushfield, Suzanne

The parenting curriculum used at NICI was developed by prison education staff, and is intended to address some of the "negative family factors" assessed at admission, such as the lack of a suitable father role model and family violence. The curriculum includes four distinct content modules. The first module addresses normal child development from birth through adolescence (brain development, social/emotional development, moral development). The second module introduces concepts about fathering, the importance of fathers in childrens' lives, and the unique role that fathers play in families. The module also includes content on the impact of father absence and father role models on children. The third module stresses communication skills and positive discipline, responsible parenting, and appropriate discipline for each of the developmental stages. The fourth module focuses on family literacy, reading, and creating a home learning environment that supports educational development and reduces some of the risk factors for children. Inmates attend daily parenting classes for four weeks, with a variety of teaching and learning strategies used by the instructor. While inmates often request assignment to the parenting program, they are assigned to the class based on an assessment of need. Inmates who report that they are fathers, and who are not known sex offenders or sexual predators, would typically be assigned to the parenting program during their last 30 days of a 120-day stay. Pre-requisites for the class include an ability to understand the reading material, based on educational assessment tests as part of the larger educational program at the prison.

Methodology

This mixed methods study examined, both quantitatively and qualitatively, the impact of short term parenting education on fathers in prison who were enrolled in the 30-day parenting class. A simple experimental design was coupled with individual interviews, in attempt to provide a richer description of the imprisoned father's lived experience, and to better understand what it means to be a father in prison. After obtaining appropriate IRB approval, including review by a prisoner advocate, informed consent was obtained. Pretests were administered by the researcher on the first day of parenting class, and again on the final day, followed by personal interviews.

The researcher had an interest in exploring the availability of social support to fathers in prison, and selected the Multi-Dimensionsal Scale of Perceived Social Support (MDSPSS), (Zimet, et.al., 1988) to measure this variable. This instrument assists in determining sources of social support from family, friends, or a significant other, and has excellent reliability , with alpha =.91. The inmates' perception of their own father role models was determined, using the Parent Child Relationship Survey (PCRS), (Fine, et.al., 1983). The PCRS has excellent internal consistency, with an overall alpha of .96. This instrument is useful in determining levels of role confusion. The meaning that fathers in prison give to the concept "responsible father" was explored, using the Bushfield Responsible Father Questionnaire (BRFQ), (Bushfield, 2000). This instrument seeks to determine the father's construct of "responsibility" as a nurturing or more traditional, disciplinary role. The Adult Adolescent Parenting Inventory, second edition, (AAPI-2), developed by Steven Bavolek (1999), was selected due to its sensitivity in measuring attitudes about normal child development, empathy, the use of corporal punishment as a form of discipline, and role reversal. This instrument has test-retest correlations of .76, and excellent content and construct validity. The pre-and post-test format suggested the use of paired t-tests to analyze results, using SPSS-11.0.