Children of Incarcerated Parents

I. Introduction
Children of Incarcerated Parents
The number of children with
incarcerated parents has increased over
the past 25 years. 1 in every 28 children
children of incarcerated parents are
comparable to that of children who have
lost their parent due to death or
(3.6 percent) has a parent
incarcerated, two-thirds of these parents
are incarcerated for non-violent
offenses. Although there are many
children who feel as though they have
experienced loss due to their parents
being in prison, there are more
instances where black and Latino
children are forced to live with the
consequences of their parent's actions.
Compared to the 1 in 110 white children
who have at least one parent
incarcerated, 1 in 15 black children and
1 in 41 Hispanic children have a parent
who is incarcerated. The mental effects
divorce. These children are more likely
to experience an increased risk for
mental health problems compared to
other children their age. The mental
health problems are connected to the
social stigma that they encounter when
their parents are arrested, or when their
peers find out that of their parent’s
incarceration. Because of this fear that
children will experience mental
disparities, some parents and caregivers
hide their incarceration from the children
by telling them that the parent is on
vacation or that they went away to
college. These lies foster an
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