Parents in jail.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the number of children in the United States with parents incarcerated in jail and to describe the characteristics of these parents and their criminal histories.


METHODS
Inmates of local jails accounting for 36.5% of the incarcerated population of the US in 1989.


METHODS
Personal interviews with 5675 inmates randomly selected from 393,553 inmates of 3312 local jails in 1989.


RESULTS
44,263 (36%) inmates had children younger than the age of 15. Fathers outnumbered mothers 10-fold; the majority were in their 20s or 30s, unmarried, and poorly educated. The vast majority of parents had a record of prior offenses, and substance abuse accounted for one third of the incarcerations. Substance abuse was reported by 84% of inmates and 95% had sought prior treatment for alcohol, drug, or other mental health problems.


CONCLUSIONS
Nearly 1 of 50 children in the US has a parent in jail. Parental imprisonment is not rare, is often chronic, and is strongly associated with other psychosocial and health problems in the family. Screening for parental imprisonment potentially should be included as part of a comprehensive biopsychosocial assessment.
Kemper
K J
KJ
Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle.
Rivara
F P
FP
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005220:Fathers; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers; D010290:Parents; D011329:Prisoners; D002666:Psychology, Child; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders; D014481:United States