Understanding Families Impacted by Incarceration: Use of a Unique Data Source (Research Note)

Incarceration in the United States impacts millions of prisoners and families. Although research demonstrates an impact of incarceration on children of inmates, practice and policy implications drawn from this research are limited. Prisons do not routinely track children and families of inmates, making it difficult to identify those impacted. Also, research usually does not separate the impact of incarceration from predisposing risks and other confounds. In introducing the IOI project, which is an effort to address this research gap, the current article describes the project's methodology, preliminary data, and implications for improving the well-being of prisoners and their families. (Publisher abstract modified)