Recent studies have found that children often suffer greatly from the collateral consequences associated with having a parent in jail or prison.
The National Resource Center on Children and Families of the Incarcerated (NRCCFI) has put together a fact sheet that addresses several key issues regarding children of incarcerated parents, and also provides data concerning other family members of those behind bars.
In addition to providing information about the children, the fact sheet offers statistics on incarcerated parents, and also on the care givers of the children. It provides a demographic breakdown on who is incarcerated, and offers a list of issues formerly incarcerated persons face when they reenter their community.
According to the NRCCFI:
in 2007 more than one in seven American children had a parent who was incarcerated. One in 15 African American children had a parent that was locked up
Approximately 50 percent of children of an incarcerated parent are under ten years of age
Many children who witness the arrest of a parent suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
In 2007 there was 79 percent increase in incarcerated parents from 1991
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