Research Report Broken Bonds: Understanding and Addressing the Needs of Children with Incarcerated Parents
Nancy G. La Vigne, Elizabeth Davies, Diana Brazzell
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Over 1.5 million children in this country currently have one or both of their parents incarcerated. In addition to the trauma of this loss, these children face tremendous uncertainty in their living arrangements, relationships with loved ones, and family financial stability. Short-term coping responses and heavy stigma are common, both of which may lead to long-term emotional and behavioral challenges. This report reviews the current research on children with incarcerated parents and offers recommendations on how to reduce the negative impact of parental incarceration, with particular attention to the role of supportive relationships with the incarcerated parent and other adults.
Research Areas Crime, justice, and safety Families Children and youth Child welfare
Tags Corrections Child care Child welfare Mass incarceration
Policy Centers Justice Policy Center