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The United States’ incarcerated population — the largest in the world — is at the heart of several national debates: People argue about the economic burden it places on thefederal budget, how inmates are treated and the long-term effects of the prison system. But hardly anyone talks about what happens to the children of those behind bars.
That population is a large one. More than 2.7 million U.S. children currently have at least one parent behind bars, according to Rutgers University’s National Resource Center on Children & Families of the Incarcerated. Approximately 10 million children have had a parent in prison at some point in their lives.
And those children typically have to deal with a combination of trauma, shame and stigma that they typically don’t receive specialized treatment for — often while also grappling with instability and home and a heightened risk of living in poverty, according to the NRCCFI. Furthermore, the group is plagued by stereotypes and misconceptions, such as the belief that these children inherit a predisposition to misbehave or engage in illegal activity, NRCCFI Director Ann Adalist-Estrin said.
Yet, Adalist-Estrin argues, this population isn’t as monolithic as it is often made out to be. Even two children from the same family will often respond to a parent being incarcerated in different ways. This, activists say, is part of why these kids need specific attention.
