WHEREAS, The San Francisco CIPP Bill of Rights sets forth the following principles:
(a) The child has the right to be kept safe and informed at the time of his or her parent’s arrest. Actions to realize this right include, but are not limited to, developing arrest protocols that support and protect children, and offering the children and their caregivers basic information about the postarrest process.
(b) The child has the right to be heard when decisions are made about him or her. Actions to realize this right include, but are not limited to, training staff at institutions whose constituency includes children of incarcerated parents, and telling the truth and listening to these children.
(c) The child has the right to be considered when decisions are made about his or her parent. Actions to realize this right include,
but are not limited to, reviewing current sentencing law in terms of its impact on children and families, including a family impact statement in presentence investigation reports, and turning an arrest into an opportunity for family preservation.
(d) The child has the right to be well cared for in his or her parent’s absence. Actions to realize this right include, but are not limited to, supporting children by supporting their caretakers, and offering subsidized guardianship.
(e) The child has the right to speak with, see, and touch his or her parent. Actions to realize this right include, but are not limited to, providing access to visiting rooms that are child-centered, nonintimidating, and conducive to bonding, considering proximity to family when siting prisons and assigning prisoners, and encouraging child welfare departments to facilitate contact.
(f) The child has the right to support as he or she faces a parent’s
incarceration. Actions to realize this right include, but are not limited to, training adults who work with young people to recognize the needs and concerns of children whose parents are incarcerated, providing access to specially trained therapists, counselors, and mentors, allocating 5 percent of the corrections budget to support prisoners’ families.
(g) The child has the right not to be judged, blamed, or labeled because his or her parent is incarcerated. Actions to realize this right include, but are not limited to, creating opportunities for these children to communicate with and support each other, creating “a truth fit to tell,” and considering differential response when a parent is arrested.
(h) The child has a right to a lifelong relationship with his or her parent. Actions to realize this right include, but are not limited to, reexamining the federal Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, designating a family services coordinator at prisons
and jails, supporting incarcerated parents on reentry, and focusing on rehabilitation and alternatives to incarceration, now, therefore, be it