IV 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 623 
Recognizing the importance of providing services to children of incarcerated 
parents. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 15, 2017 
Mr. CARSON of Indiana submitted the following resolution; which was referred 
to the Committee on Education and the Workforce 
RESOLUTION 
Recognizing the importance of providing services to children 
of incarcerated parents. 
Whereas the number of children with an incarcerated parent 
has increased nearly 80 percent in the past 20 years; 
Whereas an estimated 2,000,000 to 5,000,000 children have 
a parent in State or Federal prison, yet few resources 
exist to support young children and families coping with 
this life-changing circumstance; 
Whereas studies suggest that 30 to 50 percent of incarcer-
ated fathers do not see their children while they are in 
prison; 
Whereas research suggests that children of incarcerated par-
ents may struggle more with academic achievement and 
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•HRES 623 IH 
behavioral problems than their peers who do not have a 
parent in the criminal justice system; 
Whereas children of incarcerated parents are 6 times more 
likely than their peers to be incarcerated themselves at 
some point throughout their lives; 
Whereas children of incarcerated parents need guidance on 
how to express emotions related to absent parents, while 
their caregivers need help maintaining routines and es-
tablishing age-appropriate communication around incar-
ceration; and 
Whereas providing children with coping strategies and addi-
tional emotional resources, such as mentors, trained 
teachers, skilled counselors, and strong foster families 
can help them feel comforted and secure throughout this 
difficult time: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) recognizes the unique challenges facing chil-
dren who are growing up with one or both parents 
in prison; 
(2) recognizes the need for more research and 
guidance on the impact of children interacting with 
the criminal justice system; 
(3) recognizes that more resources and services, 
such as schools, after school programs, mentors, 
health care providers, and the juvenile justice system 
need to target the specific needs of children of incar-
cerated parents in order to reduce the cycle of fami-
lies in the criminal justice system; 
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(4) recognizes the needs for capacity-building 
training for service providers to address the needs of 
this population; 
(5) supports research and the building of com-
munity partnerships to provide a comprehensive plan 
to meet the needs of individual children struggling 
to balance the difficulties of academic, social, and 
economic stability while a parent is incarcerated; 
(6) supports law enforcement training programs 
that will factor in the emotional and physical well- 
being of children when their parents are arrested; 
(7) recognizes the needs to provide parents with 
constructive skill building programs so that, when 
appropriate, they can maintain a healthy relation-
ship with their children while in prison and after re-
lease; 
(8) supports strengthening the access parents 
have to health care, education, housing, and job 
training services so that they can be productive role 
models for their children post-release from a correc-
tional institution; and 
(9) supports research into the use of technology 
to explore alternative means for communication with 
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the goal of maintaining bonds between incarcerated 
parents and their children when appropriate. 
Æ 
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