America’s mass incarceration problem is making kids sick

America’s mass incarceration problem is making kids sick - Salon.com:

Researchers found a strong link between parents' incarceration and depression, asthma, anxiety and other issues

The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world, with more than 2 million people behind bars. Most happen to be parents to children under the age of 18, and nearly 70 percent of these parents are nonviolent offenders. According to current estimates, between 1.7 and 2.6 million children in this country have a parent in prison or jail. And their parents aren’t the only ones being punished, according to a new study from researchers at the University of California-Irvine on health and behavioral outcomes among children with incarcerated parents.