Brief Families Left Behind
Subtitle
The Hidden Costs of Incarceration and Reentry
Jeremy Travis, Elizabeth Cincotta McBride, Amy L. Solomon
Display Date
File
File
Download Report
(440.51 KB)

With incarceration rates in America at record high levels, the criminal justice system now touches the lives of millions of children each year. The imprisonment of nearly three quarters of a million parents disrupts parent-child relationships, alters the networks of familial support, and places new burdens on governmental services such as schools, foster care, adoption agencies, and youth-serving organizations. Few studies have explored the impact of parental incarceration on young children or identified the needs that arise from such circumstances. Little attention has focused on how communities, social service agencies, health care providers, and the criminal justice system can work collaboratively to better meet the needs of the families left behind. This policy brief is intended to help focus attention on the hidden costs of our criminal justice policies.
Research and Evidence Justice and Safety Family and Financial Well-Being
Expertise Families Courts, Corrections, and Reentry Early Childhood Child Welfare
Tags Corrections Child support Family structure Child care Child welfare Children and youth