Families Impacted by Incarceration
In the United States today, more than 5 million children, or 7% of all children, have a parent who is or has been incarcerated. More than 1.7 million children, or 2% of all children, have a parent who is currently in federal or state prison. Data from the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) shows that about 8% of children who enter foster care do so as a direct result of parental incarceration. In many more cases, parental incarceration is one of several stressors that decrease family stability and contribute to child welfare involvement. While accurate numbers are hard to get, an estimated 15% to 20% of children in child welfare systems have a parent who is incarcerated.