When the Innocent are Punished

Peter Scharff Smith is a Senior Researcher at the Danish Institute for Human Rights, Denmark. He has published books and articles in Danish, English and German on prisons, punishment and human rights, including works on prison history, children of imprisoned parents, and the use of solitary confinement in prisons.

• PART I: PRISON, SOCIETY AND PRISONERS CHILDREN 1. Scenes from Family Life 2. When the Innocent are Punished 3. Prison and Society – a Historical Perspective PART II: CHILDREN OF IMPRISONED PARENTS - THEIR NUMBERS, PROBLEMS, AND HUMAN RIGHTS 4. Children of Imprisoned Parents in Numbers 5. The Problems and Reactions of Prisoners Children – a Review of Research 6. Children of Imprisoned Parents and their Human Rights PART III: PRISONER'S CHILDREN - FROM ARREST TO RELEASE OF THEIR IMPRISONED PARENTS 7. The Arrest of Parents – through the Eyes of Children, Police and Social Services; Peter Scharff Smith and Janne Jakobsen 8. Remand Imprisonment - a Stressful Phase of Transition 9. After the Sentence – the Family's Way of Dealing with the Children and the Surroundings 10. Visiting in Prisons – Staff, Children, Conditions and Practice; Peter Scharff Smith and Janne Jakobsen 11. Home Leave and Other Ways of Maintaining Contact 12. When Visits do not Take Place – Parents Who Cut Off or MinimizeContact 13. When Contact is Undesirable and not in the Child's Best Interest 14. When Mum or Dad Returns – Re-entry and Release 15. With Mum or Dad in Prison – Children who Live with their Imprisoned Parent 16. Penal Populism and Children of Imprisoned Parents PART IV: CONCLUSION 17. When the Innocent are Punished – Prison, Society and the Effects of Imprisonment

“This book is a compelling account of the processes through which parental imprisonment is consequential for children and makes three broad contributions to the literature. … This book contributes to the growing literature on the consequences of parental imprisonment for children. The focus on children’s human rights, as well as the careful attention to the various stages of the imprisonment process, distinguishes this book from others on the topic.” (Kristin Turney, Criminal Law and Criminal Justice Books, May, 2015)