Incarceration and Variation in Parenting Behaviors among Fathers in Fragile Families

Jerrett Jones, University of Wisconsin-Madison

In response to rise of incarceration, there is a burgeoning literature examining the consequences of incarceration on families. Research suggests that incarceration negatively impacts the well-being of loved ones attached to men with an incarceration history. This paper uses data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study to examine how parenting behaviors are differentiated among ever incarcerated fathers. Using latent class analysis, this study attempts to describe if the heterogeneity among ever incarcerated fathers is different from never incarcerated fathers. Results have both important sociological implications in the intergenerational transmission of disadvantage and for public policy in describing the types of fathers who are incarcerated.