Policy Commentary: The Research Evidence Policymakers Need to Build Better Public Policy for Children of Incarcerated Parents

Abstract

I suggest here that research could be more policy relevant if policy implications were discussed at the front end of a study when research questions are being formulated, samples selected, measures identified, and analysis designed. I draw on my experience as a knowledge broker connecting policymakers with research knowledge and researchers with policy knowledge on a number of the most important issues of our time. Drawing on theory and practice, I drill down on how researchers can become more policy-minded. For policy-informed evidence, I contend that researchers need to understand the policymakers who will be using the information and the environment in which they operate. For evidence-informed policy, I propose that what policymakers need to build better public policy for children of incarcerated parents is evidence that is research-based and family-focused. This commentary identifies several ways that viewing children's contact with incarcerated parents through the lens of family impact can indicate multiple, often inadvertent consequences of policies, programs, and practices for children and families. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)