This report represents the major findings of an examination into the needs of children of prisoners. In August 2003, the Justice Cabinet Committee initiated an investigation into the needs of children affected by parental incarceration to determine ways in which service provision could be improved.
Children of prisoners are often overlooked in public policy making and have been referred to as the forgotten victims of crime. At present, no statistical data are gathered on the numbers of children affected by parental incarceration. Nevertheless there is ample evidence to suggest that in Australia there are thousands of children affected by the imprisonment of a parent.
