Parental Incarceration and Child Health in the United States
Citation: Wildeman, C., Goldman, A. W., & Turney, K. (2018). Parental Incarceration and Child Health in the United States. Epidemiologic Reviews, 40(1), 146–156. https://doi.org/10.1093/epirev/mxx013
Abstract: “Mass incarceration has profoundly restructured the life courses of not only marginalized adult men for whom this event is now so prevalent but also their families. We examined research published from 2000 to 2017 on the consequences of parental incarceration for child health in the United States. In addition to focusing on specific health outcomes, we also considered broader indicators of child well-being because there has been little research on the association between parental incarceration and objectively measured child health outcomes. Our findings support 4 conclusions. First, paternal incarceration is negatively associated—possibly causally so—with a range of child health and well-being indicators. Second, although some research has suggested a negative association between maternal incarceration and child health, the evidence on this front is mixed. Third, although the evidence for average effects of paternal incarceration on child health and well-being is strong, research has also suggested that some key factors moderate the association between paternal incarceration and child health and well-being. Finally, because of the unequal concentration of parental incarceration and the negative consequences this event has for children, mass incarceration has increased both intracountry inequality in child health in the United States and intercountry inequality in child health between the United States and other developed democracies. In light of these important findings, investment in data infrastructure— with emphasis on data sets that include reliable measures of parental incarceration and child health and data sets that facilitate causal inferences—is needed to understand the child health effects of parental incarceration.”
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A Note from. Dr. Judi Jennings of Louisville Family Justice Advocates:
In 2018, the Special Project worked with the Louisville Metro Center for Health Equity to document the impact and racial inequities of parental incarceration and their children
Highlights::
Jefferson County Census data for 2017 documents that Black males age 18 and older represent only 9.2% of the overall population. Yet, this demographic group accounts for 31% of bookings and 41% of the incarcerated population at the Louisville Metro Department of Corrections.
Parental incarceration is now identified as an Adverse Childhood Experience, which can be potentially traumatic and have lasting negative effects, such as toxic stress, on children’s health and wellbeing. Because of racial disparities in rates of incarceration in Jefferson County, children of color in our community are disproportionally impacted.
“We are not collateral consequences: Policy solutions for Children of Incarceration from Arrest to Reentry, by Isabel Coronado https://thenext100.org/we-are-not-collateral-consequences-policy-solutions-for-cip-from-arrest-to-reentry/ Children of incarcerated parents face numerous systemic challenges that no child should be forced to experience. Here are nine policy solutions that will significantly reduce those challenges, and to the benefit of the children, their families, and all our communities.
Sesame Street in Communities: Coping with Incarceration
Shows emotional stress parental incarceration can cause children and coping strategies to mitigate them.
https://sesamestreetincommunities.org/training/coping-with-incarceration/