More than 5.2 million children in the United States have experienced the incarceration of a parent, a known adverse childhood experience (ACE) that can negatively impact young children’s well-being. Up to 19 percent of children with parents in state prison and 13 percent of children with parents in federal prison are estimated to be 4 years old or younger.* An additional 55,000 women experience pregnancy while in prison each year.* These adverse experiences can be traumatic for young children and lead to lifelong disparities in health, behavior, and achievement. 

Home visiting can provide holistic support to justice-involved families in the community and during incarceration. This brief highlights the five voluntary initiatives that support the needs of justice-involved and justice-impacted families:

• Minnesota Prison Doula Project (MnPDP)
• Washington County Department of Public Health and Environment
• The Child and Family Research Center (CFRC)
• Maternity Care Coalition (MCC)
• Florida State University Young Parents Project (YPP)

The brief concludes with key takeaways from conversations with programs currently supporting justice-involved families on how to support families facing justice-involvement. These include the following:

• Establishing relationships with key partners in the justice system
• Adapting services to local settings and policies
• Providing training and reflective supervision to staff
• Being a reliable presence

This brief was developed for the National Home Visiting Resource Center and is available on its website. The NHVRC is led by James Bell Associates in partnership with the Urban Institute. Support is provided by the Heising-Simons Foundation.

*See the full brief for citations.