NCJ Number
180478
Date Published
1997
Length
42 pages
Annotation
This booklet seeks to describe what happens to children--physically and emotionall--when their parents go to prison.
Abstract
An estimated 1.6 million people are incarcerated in U.S. prisons and jails, leaving behind an estimated 1.5 million children. Many of those children have experienced disrupted and multiple placements, diminished quality of care, financial hardship, and lack of contact with their parents. Ultimately, they are at risk for many behavioral problems, including poor academic achievement, substance abuse, delinquency, and even intergenerational incarceration. When reviewing the impact of crime policy on children, it is important to bear in mind that more and more people are incarcerated every day in the U.S., the incarceration rate for women is increasing at a rapid rate and people are serving longer sentences. The booklet describes the characteristics of parents in prison; how children are affected by parental incarceration; the care and placement of children; the feelings and behaviors of children; why society should care about parental incarceration; and what can be done. Notes