Alternatives to incarceration for parents: a scoping review protocol

Area of Science:

• Criminal Justice
• Public Health
• Family Studies

Background:

• The USA has the world's highest incarceration rate, disproportionately affecting parents and their children.
• Parental incarceration leads to adverse health, behavioral, and academic outcomes for children.
• There's a growing need for alternatives to incarceration that prioritize community safety and family well-being.

Purpose of the Study:

• To map concepts and existing research on parent and caregiver-focused alternatives to incarceration in the USA.
• To identify evidence and knowledge gaps regarding the effectiveness of these approaches.

Main Methods:

• A scoping review following PRISMA-ScR guidelines.
• Searches across multiple databases (EBSCOhost, ProQuest, Web of Science, PubMed, HeinOnline, SCOPUS) and Google Scholar.
• Inclusion of published articles and grey literature on US-based alternatives for parents and caregivers (18+).

Main Results:

• The review will characterize alternatives to incarceration within the criminal legal system for parents.
• It will map current concepts and research, synthesizing findings on parent-focused interventions.
• Knowledge gaps concerning the effectiveness of these alternatives will be identified.

Conclusions:

• Findings will inform a research agenda for developing, implementing, and evaluating parent-focused alternatives to incarceration.
• The study aims to improve strategies that balance community safety with parental and family well-being.
• Dissemination will target academic, policy, and practice audiences.