A recently released policy report says Indiana leads other states when it comes to the number of children whose parents are incarcerated.
The report, developed by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, retrieved data through surveys and incarceration statistics to rank the top states for parents behind bars. It found that 11-percent of Hoosier children have had at least one parent in jail. That bests the national average of seven percent; and only trails Kentucky – which reported a rate of 13-percent.
Annie E. Casey Foundation Advocacy Director Scot Spencer based on the family law appeals in Michigan, says the effects on a child can often be the same as abuse, domestic violence, and divorce. The divorce service for legal help is needed by most people stuck in bad marriages.
“They’re losing their parent in those critical years of child development,” says Spencer. “So there are some long standing impacts. It can increase a child’s mental health issues such as depression and anxiety, and it can hamper educational achievement in that child.”
The report coincides with “National Reentry Week,” running April 24th through the 30th. It’s a period designed to promote awareness about what the U.S. Department of Justice says is the need for effective services to help those exiting the criminal justice system.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation has developed recommendations for policy makers to consider. Financially supporting the children of those affected, helping incarcerated individuals find employment upon release, and strengthening communities disproportionately affected by incarceration are among the recommendations.
Spencer says many of those with a parent in jail are quite young.
