There is a risk of oversimplification when it comes to mass incarceration and its impact on families. We cannot assume that a child would always be better off if her incarcerated parent returned to play a role in her life, nor can we assume that children of single parents are always at a disadvantage, despite facts indicating that they frequently are. Nonetheless, the number of people incarcerated in the United States is so high driven in no small part by men incarcerated for many years, often for nonviolent drug offenses that it is a short and easy step towards acknowledging that mass incarceration in this country is a true epidemic, with far-reaching consequences.

An estimated 2.7 million American children have a parent who is incarcerated. Sesame Street has featured a character with a jailed father to teach youngsters how to cope with this difficult situation and the guilt that can accompany it. Worse, the results indicate a shocking racial disparity: An jailed parent affects 11.4 percent of black children, 3.5 percent of Hispanic children, and 1.8 percent of white children. Nonviolent offenses account for two-thirds of the convictions indicated in these incarceration statistics, with drug offenses accounting for around a quarter.

What are the effects of Incarceration on families?

Pew Research Center Data states that More than two-thirds of jailed men were working prior to serving their term, and nearly half had lived with their children prior to entering prison. Furthermore, more than half of imprisoned parents were the primary breadwinners for their children. When a wage-earning parent abruptly leaves the picture, the task of providing for the children falls on the surviving parent, putting financial strain on families. This can persist even after the missing parent is released; jail diminishes earning potential, aggravating the financial difficulties that afflicted families may encounter.