The effects of having a parent in jail or prison are deep and long lasting for justice-involved families. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recognizes the incarceration of a household member as an adverse childhood experience (ACE) that can lead to persistent gaps in health, behavior, and achievement outcomes. Often, incarcerated caregivers have experienced their own potentially traumatic events that can hinder their ability to care for themselves and their children.
Unfortunately, more than 5.2 million children in the United States have experienced the incarceration of a parent. Nearly 20 percent of children with parents in state prison (and 13 percent of children with parents in federal prison) are estimated to be 4 years old or younger.*
Home visiting provides an opportunity to support expectant parents and families with young children when a caregiver is incarcerated. Programs can also adapt services to the jail or prison setting to help parents maintain bonds with their children and prepare to reenter the community.
This brief highlights five voluntary initiatives that support the needs of justice-involved families, defined broadly to include incarcerated parents and other affected family members:
- Minnesota Prison Doula Project
- Washington County Department of Public Health and Environment (Minnesota)
- The Child and Family Research Center (Nevada)
- Maternity Care Coalition (Pennsylvania)
- Florida State University Young Parents Project
It ends with key takeaways for program staff considering this work.
*See the full brief for citations.
Suggested citation: Miles, E. M., Doyle, E., Rodriguez, D., & Atukpawu-Tipton, G (2025). Home visiting services with justice-involved families. National Home Visiting Resource Center Innovation Roundup Brief. James Bell Associates and Urban Institute. https://nhvrc.org/brief/home-visiting-justice-involved-families/
Acknowledgments: Thank you to Tyler Roenicke, Deana Olsen, Rebecca Shlafer, Autumn Mason, Jamie Selby, Bridget Walsh, Maria Reyes-Vargas, Shauna Herrick, Colette Green, Jill-Little Brown, and their colleagues for providing information about their home visiting initiatives. Thank you to Heather Sandstrom, Allison Meisch, Jill Filene, Joelle Ruben, and Kris Neurauter for their review of this brief.