Children of convicts suffer in government blind spot

Posted on : 2016-03-26 09:46 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
Government hasn’t looked into conditions of children with incarcerated parents, exposing them to heightened risks
The situation of children of convicts in South Korea
The situation of children of convicts in South Korea

Despite calls for greater attention to the plight of children of convicts in South Korea, the government has made almost no efforts to look into the situation. Indeed, little is understood about the specific conditions even now.

To date, no government investigation has yet been conducted on conditions for the children of prisoners. The Ministry of Justice, which oversees prisoners who have either already been convicted or are currently standing trial, said the “number of minors who are children of convicted criminals is a matter of personal information that it is difficult to acquire precise statistics on.”

According to the ministry, no legal basis exists for conducting such a survey. In fact, there has been no attempt to date to enact related legislation. In the US, federal and state detention center survey data are used to establish a national statistical database on underage children of prisoners. In contrast, the South Korean Ministry of Justice’s only response has been to “place 220 children identified by correctional institutions as ‘underprivileged prisoners’ offspring in need of assistance’ under ministry jurisdiction and offer economic assistance and support for mentoring and learning assistance programs in conjunction with private non-profit groups.”

Experts and support organizations for the children of convicts estimate the number of South Korean children growing up without a parent due to criminal convictions to be around 60,000.

A Supreme Prosecutors’ Office white paper on crime listed a total of 100,000 new prisoners each year entering correctional facilities. A 2007 survey of inmates at some facilities showed 60% of all respondents reported at least one minority age child. Based on those findings, it may be estimated the annual population of convicts’ children stands at around 60,000 - or roughly 0.5 out of every 100 minors in South Korea.

In Oct. 2015, Sungkyul University social welfare professor Shin Yeon-hee conducted a general survey of all prisoners on trial at Seoul’s Seongdong Detention Center, with support from the Ministry of Justice. The findings showed 31.2% of the 996 inmates to have children. The average number of children was 1.54, for a total of 479.

Experts argue that the government should take action by building a national statistical system on children of convicts. In a 2012 paper titled “Analysis of US and UK Cases of Prisoners’ Children and a Response Plan for South Korea,” Shin and Hansei University police administration professor Park Sun-young noted that “convicts’ children growing up without parents have lower levels of academic achievement than other children and adolescents and are often exposed to negative experiences such as truancy, drug addiction, and mental illness.” In the worst cases, the researchers said, their circumstances “lead to misbehavior and crime.”

“Not only are there a substantial number of prisoners‘ children in sheer population terms, but they are also exposed to a complex mixture of risks in the absence of parental protection, yet the issue does not come up on the policy agenda,” Shin said.

“Because South Korea’s support system for underprivileged classes uses low income and poverty as a standard for selecting beneficiaries, it is difficult to take action on the unique issues facing children of convicts,” she added.

By Kim Sung-hwan, staff reporter

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]

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