Children of Incarcerated Parents
Children of Incarcerated Parents
Children of Incarcerated Parents
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Changes in Social Welfare Spending<br />
At the same time that family dynamics in the United States were undergoing rapid and<br />
dramatic changes, so too was the social safety net changing in substantive ways. These<br />
changes are at the root, many believe, <strong>of</strong> the systematic project <strong>of</strong> transference <strong>of</strong><br />
poverty onto families and children.<br />
The social safety or welfare net is a patchwork <strong>of</strong> programs funded and administered by<br />
the jumbled forces <strong>of</strong> federal, state, local, and private or non-pr<strong>of</strong>it agencies. Thus far<br />
from being monolithic or unitary, the landscape <strong>of</strong> social programs is defined by<br />
loopholes, gaps in coverage, and conflicting or contradictory regulations.<br />
Social safety net programs in the past 50 years have undergone changes in not just<br />
content but also type. The biggest shifts have been those that determine who receives<br />
support from the program. This involves both demographics (children, adults, seniors)<br />
and eligibility requirements. Eligibility for welfare programs can take many forms. In the<br />
simplest, all children would be eligible, by virtue <strong>of</strong> their age. This is the case with public<br />
school, for example. A more strenuous requirement is demonstrated need, as in the<br />
case with "transfer" benefits like welfare, Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF),<br />
food stamps, or housing subsidies.<br />
Welfare reform during the Clinton Administration drastically altered the nature and<br />
extent <strong>of</strong> federal cash assistance to needy families. The central piece <strong>of</strong> legislative<br />
reform, known as the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act<br />
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