Incarceration Is A Method Used By The United States...

Incarceration is a method used by the United States criminal justice system as a repercussion for certain unlawful actions. Criminal punishment varies upon circumstance of crime. The United States consists of approximately 125 federal prisons with approx. 200,000 inmates. According to statistics, women represent 6.7% of inmates in federal prison. When thinking of women in prison, one s first thought may be, â€Å"What about the children?† In the United States, the numbers of incarcerated women are increasing, as well as the impact on the children. The United States not only consists of federal prisons and their inmates, but also consists of private facilities that hold U.S inmates. In the United States there are approximately 150,000†¦show more content†¦(BOP) If an inmate were pregnant during the time of incarceration, the childbirth would take place in a hospital outside of the institution. Social services would be contacted and proper steps would be taken for th e child. When a woman becomes pregnant, they do not picture themselves preparing for a child within a correctional facility. By providing medical services the inmate is able to receive all proper medical attention. What lacks within the process, is the freedom for a mother to celebrate and buy the necessities to raise a child. Children with parents who are incarcerated are at high risk for mental health issues, social behavior issues, and educational difficulties. Children that are born into the world with there mother in prison may not have as much problems as a child who may have witness the criminal act or acts that caused their parents to become incarcerated. When a child is old enough to be aware of the delinquent acts by their parents, they may start to see the act as a norm, causing the child to follow the path of delinquency. According to the Bureau of Justice, Half of parents in state prison reported that they had a family member who had been incarcerated (Glaze 7). With h alf of the parents having a relative who has been incarcerated, it leads to believe that children are subject to become incarcerated at some point in their life. With a majority of these women living in single-parent homes and in