Caring for Children Impacted by Parental Incarceration: Lo Cotidiano as locus Theologicus
Annika Dirkse, Medical Student, Theology, Medicine, and Culture Fellow, Duke Divinity School
The US legal system purports to do justice, but as the work of Bryan Stevenson and others point out, it often misses the mark. This is especially true where children are concerned. According to the sentencing project, twenty-five states allow minors to be sentenced to life without parole.[1] Children also suffer due to parental incarceration, often unbeknownst to other adults in their lives such as teachers, parents, and coaches. According to a 2018 AAP report, 1 in 28 children has a parent who is incarcerated, and that number jumps to one in nine for African American children.[2] Though they themselves have not committed any crime, children with incarcerated parents often silently endure punishment along with their parents. Parental incarceration has been associated with decreased school readiness, decreased access to healthcare appointments, and more unmet healthcare needs for children.[3],[4] Furthermore, their families tend to have lower incomes than those where parents are not incarcerated, decreasing many opportunities for the children’s education and advancement.[5]
Latina theologian Ada Maria Isasi-Diaz calls the day-to-day struggles faced by poor and marginalized people such as these lo cotidiano. Because God is a God that cares for the struggles of the poor and suffering, the Christian physician must therefore care for patients in light of these struggles. This paper will use the example of children impacted by incarceration to consider how lo cotidiano can serve as locus theologicus, or starting point, for Christian physicians seeking to think about justice in a distinctly Christian way.[6] Using lo cotidiano as a locus theologicus, I will explore how the Christian physician should approach caring for children impacted by incarceration. I will first explore what struggles and oppression these children face as part of their daily lives, using both a literature review and testimonies from the children themselves. I will then consider how biblical wisdom speaks into this lived reality and how this can inform healthcare personnel who encounter children impacted by incarceration in their practice and communities.
[1] Josh Rovner, “Juvenile Life without Parole: An Overview,” The Sentencing Project, May 24, 2021, https://www.sentencingproject.org/publications/juvenile-life-without-parole/.
[2] Elizabeth Barnert and Paul J Chung, “Responding to Parental Incarceration as a Priority Pediatric Health Issue,” Pediatrics, 142.3 (2018). Https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2018-1923.
[3] Alexander Testa and Dylan B. Jackson, “Parental Incarceration and School Readiness: Findings From the 2016 to 2018 National Survey of Children’s Health,” Academic Pediatrics, 21.3 (2021).
[4] Kristin Turney, “Unmet Health Care Needs among Children Exposed to Parental Incarceration” Maternal and Child Health Journal, 21 (2017).
[5] Jean Kjellstrand and J Mark Eddy, “Parental Incarceration During Childhood, Family Context, and Youth Problem Behavior Across Adolescence,” Journal of Offender Rehabilitation 50.1 (2011).
[6] Carmen M Nanko-Fernandez, “Lo Cotidiano as Locus Theologicus,” The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Latino/a Theology. John Wiley and Sons, Ltd, 2015.
Latina theologian Ada Maria Isasi-Diaz calls the day-to-day struggles faced by poor and marginalized people such as these lo cotidiano. Because God is a God that cares for the struggles of the poor and suffering, the Christian physician must therefore care for patients in light of these struggles. This paper will use the example of children impacted by incarceration to consider how lo cotidiano can serve as locus theologicus, or starting point, for Christian physicians seeking to think about justice in a distinctly Christian way.[6] Using lo cotidiano as a locus theologicus, I will explore how the Christian physician should approach caring for children impacted by incarceration. I will first explore what struggles and oppression these children face as part of their daily lives, using both a literature review and testimonies from the children themselves. I will then consider how biblical wisdom speaks into this lived reality and how this can inform healthcare personnel who encounter children impacted by incarceration in their practice and communities.
[1] Josh Rovner, “Juvenile Life without Parole: An Overview,” The Sentencing Project, May 24, 2021, https://www.sentencingproject.org/publications/juvenile-life-without-parole/.
[2] Elizabeth Barnert and Paul J Chung, “Responding to Parental Incarceration as a Priority Pediatric Health Issue,” Pediatrics, 142.3 (2018). Https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2018-1923.
[3] Alexander Testa and Dylan B. Jackson, “Parental Incarceration and School Readiness: Findings From the 2016 to 2018 National Survey of Children’s Health,” Academic Pediatrics, 21.3 (2021).
[4] Kristin Turney, “Unmet Health Care Needs among Children Exposed to Parental Incarceration” Maternal and Child Health Journal, 21 (2017).
[5] Jean Kjellstrand and J Mark Eddy, “Parental Incarceration During Childhood, Family Context, and Youth Problem Behavior Across Adolescence,” Journal of Offender Rehabilitation 50.1 (2011).
[6] Carmen M Nanko-Fernandez, “Lo Cotidiano as Locus Theologicus,” The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Latino/a Theology. John Wiley and Sons, Ltd, 2015.