Interactive Knowledge Map: The Effects of Parenting Programs for Incarcerated and Reentering Fathers

This brief, from the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recognizes the challenges Responsible Fatherhood (RF) programs face with improving parenting outcomes for fathers with criminal justice involvement.

To aid RF programs this brief summarizes the impact literature on parenting programs for incarcerated and reentering fathers in the following areas:

1. Describes parenting programs for incarcerated and reentering fathers, including the populations they serve and the types of services they offer.
2. Highlights what is known about the effectiveness of these programs from studies of parenting programs for incarcerated and reentering fathers that measured program effects relative to a comparison group.
3. Discusses how the RF field can use this evidence to strengthen parenting services for fathers with criminal justice involvement.

To share information with RF programs about how to better support the parenting outcomes of fathers with criminal justice involvement, this brief also uses an evidence and gaps map to summarize research on the effects of parenting programs for incarcerated and reentering fathers.

Access the brief