{"id":3992,"date":"2011-08-04T15:32:18","date_gmt":"2011-08-04T19:32:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/peacebuilder\/?p=3992"},"modified":"2011-08-05T10:32:10","modified_gmt":"2011-08-05T14:32:10","slug":"what-will-happen-to-me-speaks-to-children-of-prisoners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/peacebuilder\/2011\/08\/what-will-happen-to-me-speaks-to-children-of-prisoners\/","title":{"rendered":"‘What Will Happen to Me?’ Speaks to Children of Prisoners"},"content":{"rendered":"
In addition to the children of prisoners profiled in What Will Happen to Me?<\/a><\/em>, the same question could be asked of many others touched upon in this edition of Peacebuilder: child soldiers and ex-combatants around the world; confused teens harmed by draconian school policies; survivors of trauma; overburdened officials in criminal justice, educational, and other systems mandated to exercise social control; and all others suffering under the prevailing philosophy of punishment and exclusion, rather than restoration and community building.<\/p>\n The children of prisoners, however, have been a hugely overlooked group until recently. As the book cover notes, \u201cEvery night, approximately 3 million children go to bed with a parent in prison or in jail.\u201d This means that almost every schoolteacher in America is likely to have at least one child in class who fits this description.<\/p>\n What Will Happen to Me?<\/em> (Good Books, 2011) contains poignant photos by Howard Zehr of 30 children whose parents are incarcerated, along with the children\u2019s thoughts, plus some reflections by their caregivers. Co-author Lorraine Stutzman Amstutz has compiled practical suggestions on such topics as \u201cstaying in touch,\u201d \u201cadjusting to a parent\u2019s return,\u201d and \u201cself-care for family caregivers.\u201d One of the main objectives of What Will Happen to Me?<\/em> is to alleviate the sense of shame and isolation felt by the children of prisoners and to support their resiliency. The book also contains a valuable \u201cbill of rights\u201d for the well-being of these children.<\/p>\n
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