HAVING A FAMILY MEMBER IN By: Kristen Meyers

PRISON
HOW FAMILIES ARE AFFECTED
Having a family member sent to prison is a frightening and traumatic experience,
especially when family members see it happening. Many partners struggle to come to
terms with what has happened for some time afterwards, reporting that they feel as
though they are stuck or in a bad dream.
Regardless of their age, children tend to be affected
 Children who are able to understand what has happened may feel horrible to have a family member
taken away from them, while younger children, and even babies, will sense the heightened emotions
and stress in the adults around them.
IMPACT ON CHILDREN
While many of the risk factors children of incarcerated parents experience may be
related to parental substance abuse, mental health, inadequate education, or other
challenges, parental incarceration increases the risk of children living in poverty or
experiencing household instability independent of these other problems.
Children of incarcerated parents are more likely to be incarcerated than their
friends, and are predisposed to criminal activity.
Parental incarceration is now recognized as an “adverse childhood experience”; it is
distinguished from other adverse childhood experiences by the unique combination of
trauma, shame, and stigma.
STATISTICS
More than 5 million children, or one in 14, in the U.S. have had a parent in state or federal
prison at some point in their lives, according to the Casey Foundation.
Sixty-two percent of women in state prisons reported having minor children and 51 percent of
male state prisoners did, according to the BJS.
Children of color are much more likely to have a parent in prison. One in nine African-
American children had a parent behind bars in 2008.
Approximately 10 million children have experienced parental incarceration at some point in
their lives.
Nationally, there are more than 120,000 incarcerated mothers and 1.1 million incarcerated
fathers who are parents od minors.
WAYS TO SUPPORT
Write them letters
Visit them in prison
Tell them about your life
Open up to others about your loved one in prison
Answer their calls
Don’t lie about what happen
Coming to terms with what has happened
WORKS CITIED
https://www.justicestrategies.org/coip/statistics
http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-
analysis/blogs/stateline/2016/05/24/having-a-parent-behind-bars-costs-children-
states
VIDEO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5VV0og-a7w