News / Inside Out

Children of incarcerated parents in US

Thursday, 09 April 2015 9:52 AM [ Last Update: Thursday, 09 April 2015 10:03 AM ]

The file photo shows the entrance to the now-closed Arthur Kill Correctional Facility on Staten Island in New York.

The United States is known to have the highest incarceration rate in the world, and over 2 million children across the country have one or both parents in prison.

While International human rights advocates have called parental incarceration “the greatest threat to child well-being in the US,” there are no governmental programs or assistance to help these children cope with the situation.

The responsibility often falls on the shoulders of volunteer groups, who don’t have adequate funding. What happens to children when a parent is taken away? And what are its costs on the child and society?

KQ/HJL

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