LAUSR

Abstract Kashmir has a long people’s history of undocumented parent and youth incarceration. The current research paper is an attempt to explore this penetrating issue aimed to understand the impact of parental incarceration on the lives of children in Kashmir. An interpretative phenomenological perspective was adopted to interpret the interviews of the participants. Children with incarcerated parents witness a wide range of problems. While exploring those problems, 22 children having incarcerated parents (biological fathers) were eligible to participate in the study. In-depth personal interviews were held with the participants in their homes. Each interview lasted between 50 minutes and 2 hours. The interview plan mostly focused on their parent’s incarceration and its impact on their living experiences. We recorded all interviews with prior consent from participants. Through the thematic analysis, four types of problems of children of incarcerated parents were advanced by the researchers; (1) deteriorating income; (2) poor socialization, poor schooling, rough care, and shock, (3) denial of peer-group relationships because of the Stigma of children of prisoners, and (4) their exposure to delinquency. Broadening the scope of the research in policy formulation, it was seen how various institutions and organizations contribute economic and emotional support to these children in Kashmir.