Children of Incarcerated Parents

pregnancies leading to greater divorce
rates for young individuals who marry
after having a child. In one study, 60%
of the young married parents had
separated within the first five years of
marriage. Additionally, as reported in
one article, unplanned pregnancies are
often cited as a reason for young
parents dropping out, resulting in
greater economic burdens and
instabilities for these teenage parents
later on.
Another study found that paternal
attitudes towards sexuality and sexual
expression at a young age were more
likely to determine sexual behaviors by
teens regardless of maternal opinions
on the matter. For these youths, the
opinions of the father affected their
behaviors in positive ways, regardless of
whether the parent lived in or out of the
home and the age of the
student. Another study looking at how
mother–daughter relationships affect
teenage pregnancy found that negative
parental relationships led to teenage
daughters, dating later, getting pregnant
earlier and having more sex partners.
Teens who lived in a married family
have been shown to have a lower risk
for teenage pregnancy. Teenage girls in
single-parent families were six times
more likely to get pregnant and 2.8
times more likely to engage in sex at an
earlier age than girls in married family
homes. For the majority of black youth
who live in female-headed households,
this finding points to the need for fathers
to help curb the teen pregnancy rate
and reduce the negative outcomes
associated with youth pregnancy and
the likelihood of single-parent homes.
Research on The African-
American Family
The Research on the African-American
Family book, written by Robert B.
Hill and published in 1968, provides a
counterpoint to The Moynihan Report,
or The Negro Family: The Case For
National Action, which discusses how
single-parent homes would be the
undoing of the African American people.
In this report, Hill writes in support of the
African-American family, speaking about
both strengths and difficulties in the
African-American home, detailing most
of the positives of the African American
family structure.
In his report, Hill says Black families
have five major strengths:
1. Strong religious orientation
2. High Aspiration Rate: aspirations
to achieve more than they "ought"
to aspire considering situation
3. Role Exchange: women are not
afraid to support the family if men
are not able.
4. Kinship Circle: extended family in
the black community
5. Willingness to Work
Policy Proposals
Authors Angela Hattery and Earl Smith
have proffered solutions to addressing
the high rate of Black children being
born out of wedlock. Three of Hattery
and Smith's solutions focus on parental
support for children, equal access to
education, and alternatives to
incarceration for nonviolent offenders.
According to Hattery and Smith, African-
American families are within a system
that is “pitted" against them and there
are some institutional solutions and
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