" Parents in state prison had 1,252,100 minor children, and parents in federal prison had 221,600 minor children (table 2).
" In state prison, fathers reported 1,133,800 minor children and mothers reported 118,300.
" In federal prison, fathers reported 208,200 minor children and mothers reported 13,400.
" Among state prisoners, an estimated 3 in 5 white (60%) and Hispanic (62%) females and about 1 in 2 black (50%) females were mothers with minor children (table 3).
" In state prison, 48% of black males, 51% of Hispanic males, and 40% of white males reported having a minor child.
" Nearly 7 in 10 Hispanic (67%) females in federal prison were mothers with minor children, compared to about 1 in 2 white (49%) and black (54%) females.
" Among federal prisoners, about 3 in 5 black (64%) and Hispanic (64%) males and 3 in 10 white (34%) males were fathers with minor children.
" The average age of a minor child among parents in state prison was 9 years old (table 4).
" Among minor children of parents in state prison, 1% were younger than age 1, about 18% were ages 1 to 4, and 48% were age 10 or older.
" The average age of a minor child among parents in federal prison was 10 years old.
" An estimated 13% of minor children of federal prisoners were age 4 or younger, and 20% were ages 15 to 17."
Laura M. Maruschak, Jennifer Bronson, PhD, and Mariel Alper, PhD. Parents in Prison and Their Minor Children: Survey of Prison Inmates, 2016. Bureau of Justice Statistics, US Dept. of Justice. NCJ 252645. March 30, 2021.
