Families of Incarcerated Offenders

Based on data from the late 2000s, just over half (52%) of state and under two thirds (63%) of federal inmates in the United States have a minor child. This translates to approximately 1.7 million children being separated from their parents due to incarceration. Additionally, 7% of children in the United States will experience parental incarceration before turning 18 years old. Not all families, however, are equally affected by incarceration. Incarceration is concentrated among individuals of color, African Americans and Latinos in particular, and those of lower socioeconomic standing. Black children are 3 times more likely than White children to have an incarcerated mother. Similarly, among children born in the 1990s, 25% of Black children will experience parental incarceration, compared to approximately 4% of White ...