Incarceration

No matter how their parent has ended up in prison, children and youth are left with trauma, confusion, anger, and complex grief and loss. Every situation is unique. Each child and youth needs support to understand the circumstances, absolute assurance it is not their fault, reassurance it is also not their destiny, and acknowledgement that it is okay—if not normal—to still love our parents even if we don't love what they may have done. Please reference our Grandparents & Relatives Caregivers , Grief & Loss, Navigating Birth Family Relationships & Openness, and Trauma pages for more resources.

Children of Incarcerated Parents Bill of Rights

“Inmates never, never argue or question the effects of childhood trauma.” ~Stacey Gagnon, Prison Trauma Instructor

Websites

Children of Incarcerated Parents Library and en español
Children of Incarcerated Parents (Youth.Gov)
Children of Incarcerated Parents - Clackamas County, Northwest Family Services
Child Welfare Information Gateway: Supporting Children and Families Affected by Parental Incarceration
Kids Mates
National Resource Center on Children and Families of the Incarcerated
Oregon Department of Corrections and Friends & Family Handbook
The Pathfinder Network
Safer Society Foundation - many resources

Recommended Books & Articles

Incarceration-related Materials in ORPARC's library, including Children's Materials

For Parents

Canary in the Coal Mine...Foster and Adoption Truths by Stacey Gagnon
Caring for Children of Incarcerated Parents
Children of Incarcerated Parents Library: Questions Children Ask
Helping Caregivers Address a Parent's Absence by Generations United
How Parental Incarceration Harms Children and What to do About it from the National Council on Family Relations
Impact of Parental Incarceration on Children
New York Initiative for Children of Incarcerated Parents: Creating Safer Spaces
Parenting from Prison- excerpted from a Resource Guide for Colorado and helpful to share with the incarcerated parent
Parent Incarceration Survival Skills
Pipeline to Prison - Adverse Childhood Events
Texas Department of Family and Protective Services: Child and Family Visitation Best Practice Guide
Tips for Caregivers-From Caregivers
Tips to Support Children when a Parent is in Prison and en español
What's It's Like to Have an Incarcerated Parent by TeenVogue
When a Parent is Incarcerated: A Primer for Social Workers and Foster Parents
Youth.Gov Guide for Families Experiencing the Criminal Justice System: Arrest, Jail, Time/Detention, Trial/Hearing, and Sentencing Stages - 3 Guides

For Children & Youth

Children of Incarcerated Parents’ Bill of Rights by Parenting Inside Out
Helping Youth With Incarcerated Parents Attend College & Succeed by YE4C (podcast + transcript)
How To Explain a Parent's Arrest to a Child by National Institute of Corrections - cards for all ages
Sesame Street’s Coping with Incarceration (for younger children, available in English & en español )
Teenagers with Incarcerated Parents Face Many Challenges
Teenagers with Parents in Prison Share Their Stories
Tipsheet for Youth
Visiting Mom or Dad: The Child’s Perspective
What is Life Like in Prison? A Child's Guide to Understanding Incarceration by Coffee Creek

For the Incarcerated Parent/Individual

How to Look After Your Mental Health in Prison (a UK produced guide but with solid guidance)
Self Care on the Inside
Self Care Within the Prison System

Culturally specific

Foster children in care due to parental incarceration: A national longitudinal study by Morrison & Drake, 2023
The Foster Care to Prison Pipeline by The Prison Journalism Project
Helping Children with Parents in Prison & Children in Foster Care by The Future of Children
One in Five: Ending Racial Inequity in Incarceration By Nazgol Ghandnoosh, Ph.D.
Race & Identity by The Prison Journalisam Project - many stories!
The Resilient Children of Incarcerated Parents by Isabel Coronado (Mvskoke -Creek- Nation)
We Are Not Collateral Consequences: Children of Incarcerated Parents by Isabel Coronado (Mvskoke -Creek- Nation)

Articles/Factsheets for Professionals

Videos & Podcasts

Fostering Children of Incarcerated Moms with Rebekah Cook by Adoption Wise Podcast - authors in ORPARC's library
Healing from Parental Incarceration by Nicole Ausmer, TEDxCincinnatiWomen
How Storytelling Helps Parents in Prison Stay Connected to Their Children by Alan Crickmore, TedxExeter
In Their Words: Four Young People Share Experiences With Having an Incarcerated Parent by YouthGov
Sesame Street: Little Children, Big Challenges: Incarceration-What is Incarceration?
We Got Us Now by impacted young people (podcast)
What's It Like Having a Parent In Prison? by BBC Radio (video)

Featured Favorites

Knock, Knock by Daniel Beaty

Missing Daddy by Mariame Kaba

The Night Dad Went to Jail: What to Expect When Someone You Love Goes to Jail by Melissa Higgins

Visiting Day by Jacqueline Woodson

Love Beyond the Bars by Khalia Shalon Parker Preyer

Far Apart, Close in Heart: Being a Family when a Loved One is Incarcerated by Becky Birtha

Clarissa's Disappointment: And Resources for Families, Teachers and Counselors of Children of Incarcerated Parents by Megan Sullivan

Teen Guide to Living With Incarcerated Parents by Anyé Young

What Do I Say About That? Coping with an incarcerated parent by Julia Cook

Deena Misses Her Mom by Jonae Haynesworth