Children are the hidden victims of the prison boom. Parental incarceration can cause profound emotional and practical difficulties for them as they strive to cope with separation, financial loss, stigma, and highly restrained contact with their loved ones.

This book takes a hard look at possible long-lasting effects of parental incarceration on children in the United States, England, Sweden and the Netherlands. Four major studies of some 20,000 children, followed from childhood to adulthood, demonstrate the far-reaching consequences that parental incarceration can have for children in later years.

The worst effects occur in social contexts characterized by harsh penal attitudes and restrictive prison practices. These cross-national differences illustrate the need for reforms to better protect this vulnerable population.