ABSTRACT
As the rate at which adults are being incarcerated in the United States escalates, child welfare professionals are encountering growing numbers of children who have parents in prison. Current estimates indicate that as many as 1.5 million children have an incarcerated parent; many thousands of others have experienced the incarceration of a parent at some point in their lives. Although the number of children affected by parental incarceration can be estimated, the true scope of the problem is uncertain because few reliable statistics exist. Much of the research on children with incarcerated parents has been methodologically limited. Most children with incarcerated parents experience a broad range of emotions, including fear, anxiety, anger, sadness, loneliness, and guilt. Children whose mothers are incarcerated often experience disrupted and multiple placements. Parental incarceration may be a risk factor for child abuse and neglect. The child welfare and criminal justice systems have a shared interest in maximizing opportunities for families involved with both systems.
