Citizen Staff
Angel Clark, a professor at Cardinal Stritch University, recently led a continuing education class called Incarceration: Impacting Schools and Families for educators. The class explored ways to assist children who have an incarcerated parent and included a panel discussion between the educators and FLCI inmates. Pictured, from left, Loreli Jenkins and Susan Pokey, both St. Katherine Drexel School teachers, participate in a class discussion with Clark on Nov. 7.
FOX LAKE — When a parent is sentenced to prison, it can be hard time for their children too.
Angel Clark, a Cardinal Stritch University instructor, wants to change that.
Clark recently led a continuing education class for teachers called "Incarceration: Impacting Schools and Families." The purpose of the two-day class was to provide teachers with tools to help students who have an incarcerated parent.
"I want to connect schools with the prison, the incarcerated parent and their families by focusing on what is best for the child and what the child needs to succeed in school and life," Clark said.
Clark, who earned her master's degree in special education from Edgewood College in 1998, said the course evolved from a Grief, Loss and Recovery class she also teaches through Cardinal Stritch.
"After researching and learning how little attention is given to support those families with incarcerated parents, I decided to take action and create a class for educators," Clark said.
Clark teamed up with Fox Lake Correctional Institution employees Dan Zanon, a vocational teacher, and Chris Krueger, Social Service director, to organize a panel discussion between inmates, their spouses and FLCI officials.
Twenty educators met at St. Katherine Drexel School on Nov. 7 to discuss background information about prisons and prepare for the visit to FLCI. The next day, the class journeyed through the metal detectors of FLCI for the panel discussion and a tour of the facility.
"One message I would like everyone to know is that these children of the incarcerated are just like any other child. They are not damaged goods," Warden Jodine Deppisch told the educators.
Although children of inmates are not "damaged goods," statistics show that they are at a disadvantage.
Children who have an incarcerated parent are six times more likely to be incarcerated in the future — and today there are more than 2 million children who have incarcerated parents, according to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
The panel discussion focused on the financial and emotional hardships these families face.
"We discussed ways to lighten the load for these single parents, such as being flexible toward homework and getting involved beyond the classroom," Clark said. "We know that children of the incarcerated can accomplish just as much, if not more, than any other child. What they need is a positive, non-judgmental adult role model to believe in them."
The class was an eye-opening experience for Marcia Paul, a vocal music teacher at Beaver Dam High School.
"I hadn't realized how much the criminal's family could be victimized. One of the strongest realizations that came out of the experience was that sometimes incarceration is a much bigger punishment to the family than it is to the offender," Paul said. "Whenever a parent is under insurmountable pressure, the children are as well."
To emphasize the importance of the class, Clark cited studies that show family support during and after incarceration is critical for rehabilitation and re-entry into society.
"Rehabilitation is also critical for family survival. Many people may not realize this fact: Only death causes more stress on a family. Yet there is very little help both emotionally and financially for these families," Clark said.
Clark noted that families with an incarcerated parent face many of the same burdens as other single-parent households, however, the social stigma of incarceration evokes more stress for children.
"In a society where so much emphasis is placed upon image, and a family's social status is most often determined by the father's job, children of convicted felons are facing a distinct disadvantage. We can assume that many of these children have a negative self-image without a positive role model," she said.
The stress related to an incarcerated parent touches every aspect of a child's life, especially school.
"When someone is grieving, one of the symptoms is an inability to concentrate," Clark said.
A quick glance at statistics reveals that prison populations have expanded from 200,000 inmates in the 1970s to more than 2.2 million people today, according to the U.S. Prison Bureau.
Clark said expanding prison populations have forced many educators to ask themselves how to deal with a child who announces to the class that mom or dad is prison. Teachers are also left contemplating how involved they should be with the children's home life.
"This is very frustrating to educators who want to help, but are either afraid to or simply don't know what to do. They are frustrated because they cannot teach a child who cannot concentrate because he or she is so grief stricken and pre-occupied with worries of what is happening at home or what will happen to them now that their family dynamics are changing," Clark said.
Clark hopes to continue and expand the Incarceration: Impacting Schools and Families class to provide educators with tools to help children of inmates overcome their disadvantages and live up to their full potential.
amartin@capitalnewspapers.com