Parental Incarceration, Family Punishment

Author: Hatim Husainy

Field of Study: Social Sciences

Program Affiliation: Source Project Research Program

Faculty Mentors: Alexandra Moore

Easel: 53

Timeslot: Morning

Abstract: The United States of America has the second-highest incarceration rate in the world, with almost two million people behind bars. Of the incarcerated people in this country, more than half are parents. When the state imprisons a parent, what happens to their children? This project will examine the effects of parental incarceration on children and what can be done to remedy these effects. Effects of parental incarceration range from an increased likelihood of suspension and lower academic achievement to an increased likelihood of obesity and asthma. Despite this, the issue receives little attention, and significant changes have not been made to address it. This project will analyze contemporary data and utilize a thorough literature review to evaluate the recent changes in this problem and the novel approaches to decreasing or solving it, from changes in jurisprudence and law to shifts in prison and social policies.