How many children in Texas have a Parent in Jail?
1.5 million Texas children have a parent incarcerated in state or federal prison and the highest percentage of these children reside in Harris county with Houston leading all Texas cities with 6,617 children with incarcerated parents. Sadly, 75% of women who are incarcerated are mothers.
Unfortunately, children of incarcerated parents usually result in having:
- Instability in family relationships and structure
- School behavior and performance problems
- Shame, social and institutional stigma
- Children of incarcerated mothers are four times more likely to be “still in” foster care than all other children.
- May suffer from multiple psychological problems including trauma, anxiety, guilt, and fear
- Symptoms including depressions, difficulty in sleeping, concentration problems, and flashbacks about their mother or father’s crime or arrest
Is there an organization besides the State that offers help to these kids?
Yes. Cherish our Children International has joined forces with No More Victims to make a difference in the lives of these kids. 1,000 children have participated since this program’s inception in 1993. Absent this program, 85% of these children would have predictably followed in their parents steps and now be incarcerated. Rather, only 3% suffered their parents’ same fate. To learn more visit www.nomorevictimsincglobal.org To participate and learn how athlete Gabrielle Baumeyer is raising money to support these kids, read her story here. Thank you.
