Date of Award

Spring 2025

Degree Type

Thesis

Department

Moore School of Business

Director of Thesis

Thomas M. Hughes, J.D.

Second Reader

Sarah Noll, LISW-CP

Abstract

Incarceration is a life-changing event. It is humbling to be surrounded by three cement walls and a row of metal bars reaching from the floor to the ceiling. Millions of individuals are impacted by the adverse effects of incarceration, but millions more feel the effect of their incarceration as well. There are obvious negative impacts on those who have personally experienced incarceration, but one of the largest impacts is widely overlooked; one that comes from beyond the cell. This thesis considers the variation in the impact of parental incarceration on children, specifically based on the factors of age, gender and race. This analysis is formed through a supplemented literature review. Complied findings from this methodology suggest that young children and males tend to have adverse behavioral reactions to parental incarceration, while older children and females react more emotionally. Children who identify with a minority racial group are also more likely to have an adverse quality of life in comparison to their white counterparts who experience parental incarceration. The effect of parental incarceration on children is an issue largely passed over by the public, and the greater purpose of this study is to spread awareness about its significant, widespread, impact.

First Page

1

Last Page

24

Rights

© 2025, Ella M. Zeigler

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