Children of Incarcerated Parents -- PDF version Part 1 of 1 (281kb) is available online
By Charlene Wear Simmons, Ph.D. (CRB-v7-n2), March 2000.
Assembly member Kerry Mazzoni requested that the California Research Bureau (CRB) conduct a broad research review to summarize what is known about the children of incarcerated parents. This CRB note estimates the number of children in California who have parents in the state's criminal justice system (jail, prison, parole and probation) and summarizes key findings from the research literature. Children whose parents have been arrested and incarcerated face unique difficulties. Many have experienced the trauma of sudden separation from their sole caregiver, and most are vulnerable to feelings of fear, anxiety, anger, sadness, depression and guilt. They may be moved from caretaker to caretaker. The behavioral consequences can be severe, absent positive intervention--emotional withdrawal, failure in school, delinquency and risk of intergenerational incarceration.
