{"id":32024,"date":"2023-02-27T18:41:00","date_gmt":"2023-02-27T18:41:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/caseyfamilyv2.wpengine.com\/parental-incarceration-issue\/"},"modified":"2026-06-24T23:24:27","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T23:24:27","slug":"parental-incarceration-issue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casey.org\/es\/parental-incarceration-issue\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00bfQu\u00e9 deben considerar las agencias de protecci\u00f3n infantil al trabajar con ni\u00f1os cuyo padre, madre o cuidador principal est\u00e1 incarcerated?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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About 1.8 million people<\/span><\/a> in the United States were incarcerated in state or federal prisons or local jails in 2020, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Some are parents or primary caretakers of children who are involved \u2014 or may become involved \u2014 with the child welfare system. The Annie E. Casey Foundation Kids Count Data Center reports that in fiscal year 2019-2020, an estimated 4.9 million children<\/span><\/a> lived with a parent or guardian who served time in jail or prison after the child was born, with higher rates among Black children (12%) and American Indian\/Alaska Native (16%) children when compared to white children (6%). Although the vast majority of people in prison are male, the rate of growth in female imprisonment<\/span><\/a> has been about double that of men since 1980.<\/p>\n

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It is unknown exactly how many children in the child welfare system have an incarcerated parent, but estimates range from 15% to 20%<\/span><\/a>. All children have a right to a relationship and reunification with their parents when safe and possible. Evidence<\/span><\/a> suggests that children in foster care who maintain contact with their biological parents have better mental health outcomes than those who do not. Child protection agency leaders have an opportunity to improve the lives of the children in their care and ensure that families affected by parental incarceration receive the same respect and support as other families.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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This brief discusses some of the issues that child protection agencies should consider to better support children whose parent or primary caregiver is incarcerated, provides some historical context for racial disparities in incarceration rates, explores the rights of incarcerated parents and their children, and includes questions for leaders to consider about their agency\u2019s policies and practices.1<\/sup><\/a>,<\/sup>2<\/sup><\/a> To learn about strategies that support family time, please see “How can child protection agencies support children spending time with their parents who are incarcerated?<\/i><\/span><\/a>”\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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The role for child welfare<\/h2>\n \n \n \n

This issue brief concerns the well-being of children whose parent or primary caregiver is incarcerated at any point while the child is involved with the child welfare system.\u00a0This should not be taken to imply that incarceration should necessitate an open child welfare case.<\/b><\/span>\u00a0In most cases, when a parent or primary caregiver is incarcerated, children can and should be safely cared for by other family members, without additional family separation or involvement of the child welfare system. The child protection agency should support ongoing visits and engagement with the parent or primary caregiver who is incarcerated.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Better data are needed<\/h2>\n \n \n \n

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Most child protection agencies do not track parental incarceration. It sometimes is cited as a reason for entry into foster care; however, if there are other factors present, incarceration may not be noted. Agency data are even less likely to differentiate whether parents became incarcerated before their children came to the system\u2019s attention or after they entered care.3<\/sup><\/a> Caseworkers may be uncomfortable asking about incarceration, and families may be reluctant to volunteer this information.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Yet identifying where parents are, including whether and where they are incarcerated (including young parents in juvenile detention facilities), is an essential first step to fulfilling the legal mandate of reasonable efforts to reunify families. Information about individual parents who are incarcerated should be used to better support children\u2019s ongoing relationships with their parents, provide services to the family, and promote family reunification.4<\/sup><\/a> Capturing data about parental incarceration at a systems level also is critical to monitor compliance with related policies, understand the experiences of the children and their families, and improve services and outcomes.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Questions to consider<\/h3>\n