Children of Incarcerated Parents

Posted by Patricia Devine on May 4th, 2018 Posted in: K-12

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There are over 2.7 million children in the United States who have a parent who is incarcerated. Children who have a parent in prison are impacted in many ways, including mental and physical health. They may face financial hardship, trauma, or social stigma. Disruption of family live may lead to additional problems and negative outcomes for children. Organizations that offer family-oriented support programs for children of incarcerated parents include Youth.gov, which was created by the Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs, composed of representatives from 20 federal agencies that support programs and services focusing on youth. See their resource page for information for parents and caregivers, teachers, and social work and clinical professionals. The U.S. Justice Department’s National Institute of Corrections also provides guidance and links to programs on their Children of Incarcerated Parents page. And the Child Welfare Information Gateway, which is a service of the Children’s Bureau, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, provides information on how to support children and families of prisoners. The National Library of Medicine’s MedlinePlus has resources on childhood and teenage depression and trauma and family issues. Public libraries and community-based organizations can help to direct those in need to these resources.