According to study authors, the number has grown because although the overwhelming majority of incarcerated parents consists of males, there are now more female prisoners than before, many of them being behind bars after having reacted to instances of domestic violence. Other children disproportionately affected include poor children, children without a parent educated beyond high school, and children living in rural areas. However, the study ventures that this figure may be an underestimation, since it does not account for parents who do not live at home with the child.
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Many New Mexico children grow up with at least one parent in prison, and a new report out Tuesday morning reveals just how many there are nationwide. Black children were about twice as likely as whites to have had a parent incarcerated.
The report, released by the organization Child Trends, found more than 5 million US children have a parent in prison or jail.
093-a-11-(David Murphey, senior researcher, Child Trends, in AP interview Monday)-“lot of shame”-Child Trends researcher David Murphey says these children have trouble talking about their family situation”. The group hopes the findings will prod prisons, schools and lawmakers to make changes that will help young people who have incarcerated parents. “We need to pay more attention”.
Research indicates that many of these children face increased risk of problems with behavior, academics, self-esteem and substance abuse. “When your parent is in prison, it’s the same issue of loss and separation, and in neither case did the kid sign up for this”.
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There are ways to support children who have a parent in prison. They also are more likely to have encounters with the law themselves, the organization reports. Child Trends suggests reducing the stigma associated with having an imprisioned parent, and making prison visits less stressful or traumatizing for children. The numbers were based on a 2011-12 survey by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
