Incarceration in the United States affects not only the individuals incarcerated, but also the whole family system, including children. 1.5 million children younger than 18 have had parents incarcerated at some point in their life (U.S. Census Bureau, 2021), and children have been called the hidden victims of the mass incarceration that is…

The U.S. has seen a more than five-fold increase in the number of children who experience the incarceration of a parent, such that now 7% of all U.S. children have been impacted. Parental incarceration has been linked to an array of consequences for children's development and well-being, spanning most developmental domains and all developmental…

Decades of research and clinical observations have demonstrated the harmful effects of parent-child separation on children's short- and long-term well-being (Society for Research in Child Development, 2018). Young children may be separated from their parents due to a variety of circumstances. This article provides recommendations for the…

Children of incarcerated parents may face an increased risk for developmental and behavioral problems. Early care and education can play a positive role in addressing these risks and providing positive support. However, these children are largely hidden when it comes to formal early care and education policy and program initiatives. This article…

In prison, jails, and detention centers, the United States incarcerates more people than any other country, and most of these individuals are parents. As a result, early care and intervention professionals are likely to encounter infants and young children affected by parental incarceration. This article will review the scope of the problem, the…

Children experience grief and loss from death, divorce, parental incarceration, and similar situations of being placed in foster care or adoption. These youths may be challenged in recovery due to lacking the necessary life experience and coping skills. They may also lack the appropriate support networks to work through their grief as their…

Growth in U.S. incarceration rates during the 1980s and 1990s prompted a body of research focused on understanding the diverse effects of incarceration on individuals, families, and communities. An area of particular interest has been how the incarceration of a parent may affect child well-being. Despite what appears to be converging evidence that…

This article describes how use of the "Developmental Audit" tool and related court documents shaped the outcome of the life of a young Mexican man who lived a remarkable saga of resilience, in his struggle to come to the United Stated (USA) to be reunited with his mother. As a small child, strong work ethics and support of family were…

The absence of a father figure has been linked to very poor developmental outcomes. The Baby Elmo Program, a parenting and structured visitation program, aims to form and maintain bonds between children and their incarcerated teen fathers. The program is taught and supervised by probation staff in juvenile detention facilities. This intervention…

Typing the term "juvenile justice reform" into a Google[TM] search will result in 60 pages of entries. But what is meant by juvenile justice reform? What does it look like? How will one know when it is achieved? This article defines juvenile justice reform, discusses the principles of effective reform, and describes the practice of…

Research suggests that intervening in the lives of children with an incarcerated parent to preserve and strengthen positive family connections can yield constructive societal benefits in the form of reduced recidivism, less intergenerational criminal justice system involvement and the promotion of healthy child development (Christian, 2009). Since…

Laura Briley is a person who makes things happen! Not only is she instrumental in creating a new World Forum Working Group for the Rights of Children in Children's Homes, but in April she organized the first ever Pikler Intensive Training in the United States by bringing two internationally famous infant development experts to Tulsa, Oklahoma. In…

For the nearly 2 million children in the United States whose parents are in prison, caretaking necessary for optimal development is disrupted. These vulnerable youth--a population that has shot up 80 percent in the last 20 years--are more likely to experience learning difficulties, poor health, and substance abuse, and eventually be incarcerated…

This article discusses the history of the provision of children's care ("prizrenie") in Russia which provides evidence that the desire to help those close to one, especially orphans and the poor, was a traditional trait of the Russian national character. The system of children's welfare as it took shape over many centuries is unique in…

Half the Sky, an international NGO, works in partnership with Chinese national and provincial governments inside state-run orphanages (welfare institutions). Through their infant nurture programs infants and toddlers in institutions begin to thrive through primary relationship-based care by trained community paraprofessionals. In preschool…