Criminal Legal System Experiences Among Families Receiving Home Visiting Services: A Scoping Review of the Literature

Each year, millions of families with children in the United States (US) come into contact with the criminal legal system (CLS), the deleterious consequences of which are well documented. Families exposed to the CLS often face many stressors and may benefit from supports and services designed to enhance parent-child relationships and connect them to health-promoting resources and services. Early childhood family home visiting (FHV) is a two-generation strategy to support pregnant women and families with infants and young children, many of whom encounter the CLS. Yet, little is known about the CLS experiences of families receiving FHV. This scoping review summarizes the published research on CLS experiences among FHV-enrolled families in the US. Seven online databases were used to identify research published between 1967 and 2022. Following PRISMA guidelines, articles were required to focus on FHV and CLS involvement. Twenty-eight articles met inclusion criteria; five were systematic reviews or meta-analyses, 22 were primary sources with quantitative measures of CLS, and one was a qualitative study. Among the primary quantitative sources, more than half (55%) included CLS measures to describe the sample and the others included CLS variables as outcomes. CLS involvement was a common experience among families receiving FHV services. This scoping review provides an important first step in describing the existing research on FHV participants' CLS involvement and can inform future efforts to serve this group of families.