Abstract
In the United States there are higher rates of parents being incarcerated, resulting in the separation of parent and child. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between participation in parenting programs in prisons and incarceration being intergenerational in families. Due to the inmate parents being in prison, they are not able to actively be involved in their children’s lives. This exploratory research project consisted of twenty-two participants, fifty-five percent of the participants were males and forty-five percent of the participants were females. The findings of this study were that many of the participants, including both the children and the inmate parents reported that they, and their families would have had healthier communication skills, and an improved relationship had they had more contact with each other. Implementing parenting programs in prisons would improve the family’s dynamics, both while incarcerated and when released from prison.