The Children in “Orange”

Abstract

Behind an increasing rate of parental incarceration, the public is encountering a significant amount of the children of incarcerated parents. The children who experienced the imprisonment of parents become the hidden victims under the criminal justice system. The separation that occurs when a parent enters prison plays a role in generating adverse developmental outcomes in children. In response to the contemporary correctional philosophy, specific efforts have been provided to the purpose of rehabilitation and social reinsertion. Interactions between incarcerated parents and their children that adopted a wide range of formats have been designed due to the undeniable benefits of a secure parent-child attachment. The children-oriented visitation program and the prison nursery provide children with possibilities to continue the bonding process inside a correctional facility. Regardless of valid criticisms, the existence of both programs proves the benefits for an inmate and a child outweigh the potential negative impacts of the prison environment on the children. However, those impacts should never be ignored. This is not a thesis about examining the correctional system, but about exploring the space designed for the inmates' children. It intends to create a children-friendly environment inside the correctional facilities to accommodate positive parent-child interactions.