GEM released a report, “Love Beyond Bars”, highlighting the lack of data surrounding children with incarcerated parents. At least 5.3 million children in the United States have been separated from a parent in jail or prison, and more than 10 million children have had a parent caught up in some aspect of the criminal legal process. This lived experience has a profound effect on the overall wellbeing of the children.
GEM’s research reveals that the majority of states fail to have appropriate mechanisms in place to support children of incarcerated parents. A growing consciousness within state agencies about the importance of supporting justice-impacted children is desperately needed. Without it, millions of children will continue to experience the lifelong consequences and generational trauma associated with parental incarceration.
The “Love Beyond Bars” report details to what extent data on children of incarcerated parents is missing or unavailable and provides recommendations for rectifying this critical oversight. GEM hopes the information presented in this report encourages all institutions and communities to immediately and intentionally operate with justice-impacted children in mind.
Press Coverage: As More Mothers Fill Prisons, Children Suffer ‘A Primal Wound’
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