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Journal Article Since the mid-1970s the U.S. imprisonment rate has increased roughly fivefold. As Christopher Wildeman and Bruce Western explain, the effects of this sea change in the imprisonment rate--commonly called mass imprisonment or the prison boom--have been concentrated among those most likely to form fragile families: poor and minority men with little schooling.Imprisonment diminishes the earnings of adult men, compromises their health, reduces familial resources, and contributes to family breakup. It also adds to the deficits of poor children, thus ensuring that the effects of imprisonment on…
Statistics from the 1997 and 2004 Bureau of Justice Statistics surveys on incarcerated parents and their children are shared. Findings indicate an estimated 809,800 parents of minor children were incarcerated in 2007, an estimated 1.7 million children had an incarcerated parent in 2007, and only 48% of parents in State prison had been living with their children. The impact of parental incarceration on children is discussed, as well as notable characteristics of parents in federal prison. 2 figures, 4 tables, and 17 references.
This chapter addresses the reentry challenges faced by low-skilled men released from U.S. prisons. I empirically characterize the increases in incarceration occurring since 1970 and assess the degree to which these changes result from changes in policy as opposed to changes in criminal behavior. I discuss what is known about the children of inmates and the likelihood that a child in the United States has an incarcerated parent. The chapter then addresses the employment barriers faced by former prison inmates with a particular emphasis on how employers view criminal history records in…
