How can research on children of incarcerated parents in the United States alter corrections practice?

Abstract

The upsurge in people incarcerated in the United States since the late 1970s has meant that many people in prison and jail are parents. Currently 2.7 million children in the United States have incarcerated parents, and more than 10 million children have had an incarcerated parent (Johnston 2010). Given these numbers, researchers began to examine how a parent’s imprisonment impacted a child’s growth and development. The history of this research and researchers’ findings can be useful to the corrections community. While much of the information below is specific to the United States, this article also has implications for children internationally.