Outcomes for Children of Incarcerated Parents
Affecting Outcomes for the Invisible Casualties of War – The Children of Incarcerated Parents
On December 31, 2005, 2,320,359 people were incarcerated in the United States. Of these inmates, 107,518 were female. As of 2004, the most recent date for which statistics are available, it is estimated that there are approximately 2.8 million children of incarcerated parents. Of this number, approximately 320,000 are children of incarcerated mothers. The problem with these estimates is that at best, they are an educated guess. Most states lack uniform methods of recording the demographic information regarding an inmate’s children. Moreover, many inmates may choose not to identify their children for the fear of the possibility of adverse involvement from various child welfare agencies. A Black child in the United States is nine times more likely than a White child to have a parent in prison. A Hispanic child is three times more likely than a White child to have a parent in prison. More significantly, according to the forecasts for America’s prison population published by the Pew Charitable Trusts, prison populations are expected to continue to increase through 2011. On average, a 13% increase in the growth of prison populations is forecast. The number of female prisoners is expected to grow by 16% for the same period; this rate of growth among female prisoners will outpace the 12% increase anticipated for male inmate populations. Arguably, the number of children with incarcerated parents will increase in proportion to this projected increase in prison inmates. It is widely accepted among criminal justice and social welfare researchers that children of incarcerated parents suffer a myriad of difficulties associated with the incarceration of their parents. The effects on an individual child may vary according to the special developmental and psychological needs of each child. The table below illustrates the developmental stages of childhood,
On December 31, 2005, 2,320,359 people were incarcerated in the United States. Of these inmates, 107,518 were female. As of 2004, the most recent date for which statistics are available, it is estimated that there are approximately 2.8 million children of incarcerated parents. Of this number, approximately 320,000 are children of incarcerated mothers. The problem with these estimates is that at best, they are an educated guess. Most states lack uniform methods of recording the demographic information regarding an inmate’s children. Moreover, many inmates may choose not to identify their children for the fear of the possibility of adverse involvement from various child welfare agencies. A Black child in the United States is nine times more likely than a White child to have a parent in prison. A Hispanic child is three times more likely than a White child to have a parent in prison. More significantly, according to the forecasts for America’s prison population published by the Pew Charitable Trusts, prison populations are expected to continue to increase through 2011. On average, a 13% increase in the growth of prison populations is forecast. The number of female prisoners is expected to grow by 16% for the same period; this rate of growth among female prisoners will outpace the 12% increase anticipated for male inmate populations. Arguably, the number of children with incarcerated parents will increase in proportion to this projected increase in prison inmates. It is widely accepted among criminal justice and social welfare researchers that children of incarcerated parents suffer a myriad of difficulties associated with the incarceration of their parents. The effects on an individual child may vary according to the special developmental and psychological needs of each child. The table below illustrates the developmental stages of childhood,