At 13 percent, the percentage of Kentucky children who have had an incarcerated parent is nearly double the national average and is the highest percent by population in the nation, according to a new KIDS COUNT policy report co-released Monday by the Kentucky Youth Advocates and the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

The report, “A Shared Sentence: The Devastating Toll of Parental Incarceration on Kids, Families and Communities,” estimated that 135,000 children in Kentucky have had a parent incarcerated. The report also highlights obstacles, solutions and trauma such children face throughout their lives. 

Kentucky Youth Advocates Executive Director Terry Brooks said in a news release that “policy debates about incarceration rarely focus on the impact on children. Yet, we know that when a parent is in jail or prison, it creates an unstable environment for the kids that can have lasting effects like poverty, changes in living situations, mental and emotional health issues.”

Jana Sublett, executive director of CASA of South Central Kentucky, agrees that children can be negatively affected when parents are incarcerated, and many times children are not allowed to see their parents.

“It delays the children’s ability to find permanency, as the incarcerated parents are unable to work the case plans that the Cabinet for Health & Family Services requires them to complete,” Sublett said in an email. “Thus, case progress gets delayed leaving children languishing most often in foster care.” 

Parental incarceration can cause emotional toll and stress for the whole family, because communication is difficult and there is a financial burden on the parent left at home, said Nickie Jones, executive director of the Family Enrichment Center. 

“Obviously, the communication factor is a barrier. (The children) are confused and scared and sometimes they blame themselves. They love their parent and they just want their parent to be there with them,” Jones said. 

The report offers recommendations on prioritizing the needs of children with incarcerated parents. For example, when children cannot remain at home due to parental incarceration, priority should be given to placing the children with other family members, and support – such as access to child care – should be given to those family members in an effort to minimize the trauma experienced by the child. 

“We would want to ensure children with an incarcerated parent have a good support system of family members and/or foster parents. It’s important they have access to supports like therapists, social workers and CASA volunteers,” Sublett said in an email.

Jones agrees and said that the goal of the Family Enrichment Center is to support the family, the children and help the parent and the children with their different services. 

“Families need support from the community, friends and different agencies. We have to be supportive to families and children. Kids want to know and understand what’s going on and we have to be able to communicate with them on their level and where they are developmentally,” Jones said. 

Brooks said in the release that “Kentucky has made several positive movements but we have a long way to go to better support children who have experienced parental incarceration.”

— Follow faith/general assignments reporter Simone C. Payne on Twitter @_SimonePayne or visit bgdailynews.com.