Children of Incarcerated Parents
Be Sure Your Child is Cared For & Safe
The Commission, working with experts in the field, developed a flyer to help parents who have been arrested plan for their children. The flyer describes and provides forms to designate a person in parental relation so that their children have caregivers with the legal ability to make education and medical decisions for their children. While the flyer does not provide legal advice, it does explain various short- and long-term options that help parents plan appropriately for their children’s care and provides information about resources that can be helpful to the parent, their children and their children’s caregivers.
The flyer is currently available for download in English, Spanish, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, French, Haitian Creole, Korean and Russian. (Please note, the flyer was designed for and is best printed on legal size paper.)
Copies of the flyer (in English or Spanish only) can be ordered online using the online order form. A hard copy order form is also available.
The information in the flyer is also broken down into the following information sheets (all sheets are available in English, forms are also available in Spanish):
- Fact Sheet on Options for Incarcerated Parents
- Form 1. Parental Appointment of Your Child’s Caregiver for 30 Days or Less
- Form 2. Parental Appointment of Your Child’s Caregiver for 6 Months or Less
- Resource Sheet for Incarcerated Parents and Their Children’s Caregivers
- Form 1. Parental Appointment of Your Child’s Caregiver for 30 Days or Less (Spanish)
- Form 2. Parental Appointment of Your Child’s Caregiver for 6 Months or Less (Spanish)
In April 2010, then-Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman announced the release of this flyer. In his letter to criminal justice professionals, he noted, “the intent is that this flyer increases the focus and steps taken – immediately and over time – to keep children safe and to reduce the trauma associated with the circumstances.”
Please read the Frequently Asked Questions for further information or listen to the New York State Association of Chiefs of Police Podcast.