Developmental diversions and delays/learning disabilities
Trauma can alter how we think, feel and process information
Uncertainty/instability of a parent being gone
Stigma/embarrassment/shame of having a parent incarcerated
Financial difficulties with loss of income
Difficulty building attachments
Uncertainty about the justice system
Loss of family home/ “other” care
Hyper pursuit of acceptance
Relationships, positive connections and creating opportunities in order to break generational cycles.
The research is there. The numbers are surprising. We utilize these great resources and more when developing our model and programs.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF®) is devoted to developing a brighter future for millions of children and young people with respect to their educational, economic, social and health outcomes. Their work focuses on strengthening families, building stronger communities and ensuring access to opportunity, because children, youth and young adults need all three to succeed. Learn more
KYA advocates for policies that give children the best possible opportunities for a brighter future and are making Kentucky the best place in America to be young. Learn more
“Parental incarceration is a shared sentence, impacting the health and well-being of kids in the short-term and across their lifetime,” said Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates. “Children need their parents to care for them and work to meet their basic needs. Yet, at 15 percent, Kentucky has the second highest rate in the nation of kids who’ve been separated from their parent due to incarceration.” Read more
Recognizing the importance of providing services to children of incarcerated parents. Read more.
Children do not often figure in discussions of incarceration, but new research finds more than 5 million U.S. children have had at least one parent in prison at one time or another—about 3 times higher than earlier estimates that included only children with a parent currently incarcerated. This report uses the National Survey of Children’s Health to examine both the prevalence of parental incarceration and child outcomes associated with it. Read more.
Kentucky’s high levels of drug abuse and incarceration have helped push the state to No. 1 in the nation in the rate of children living with a relative or close family friend instead of a biological parent. Read more
Hailly T. N. Korman is a civil rights attorney and principal at Bellwether Education Partners, a Washington-based education consulting firm. She is the lead author of the Bellwether analysis described in this essay. Read more.
Children of incarcerated parents face profound and complex threats to their emotional, physical, educational, and financial well-being. Read more
