skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Monday, March 18, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

SD public defense duties shift from counties to state; SCOTUS appears skeptical of restricting government communications with social media companies; Trump lawyers say he can't make bond; new scholarships aim to connect class of 2024 to high-demand jobs.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The SCOTUS weighs government influence on social media, and who groups like the NRA can do business with. Biden signs an executive order to advance women's health research and the White House tells Israel it's responsible for the Gaza humanitarian crisis.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Midwest regenerative farmers are rethinking chicken production, Medicare Advantage is squeezing the finances of rural hospitals and California's extreme swing from floods to drought has some thinking it's time to turn rural farm parcels into floodplains.

Sharing the Sentence: Thousands of IL Children Affected by Parental Incarceration

play audio
Play

Monday, April 25, 2016   

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Children who have at least one parent that has spent time in prison may also have fewer opportunities in life, according to a report released today.

About 186,000 children in Illinois are struggling with emotional and financial problems as a result of having an incarcerated parent.

That's one of the findings in the Annie E. Casey Foundation report. It also notes that while lawmakers and activists have focused on making changes to mass-incarceration policies, many times the needs of children are overlooked.

Leslie Helmcamp, policy analyst for Voices for Illinois Children, says the state doesn't have a solid support system for these kids, and that could have long-term negative effects.

"Children may suffer from mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety," says Helmcamp. "It can hamper their long-term educational goals and achievements. It's really important to have those supports to counter the emotional toll that it takes on a child."

The report also says the issue can have the same effects on children as abuse or domestic violence. Nationally, about 5 million young people have been separated from a parent because of a prison sentence.

The foundation suggests several changes states can make to ease the burden on families. Illinois already has put some of those ideas into practice, including a law that puts restrictions on when employers can ask about an employee's criminal background.

But, Scot Spencer, associate director for advocacy and influence with the Casey Foundation, says there are more steps Illinois lawmakers could take.

"State and local governments should provide incentives for housing authorities and private landlords to lift restrictions on people with records," he says. "So families can remain in or access safe and affordable housing."

Additionally, the report notes that African-American and Latino kids are much more likely to have have a parent incarcerated than their white peers.



get more stories like this via email

more stories
Corporate partners sign contracts to offer a graduate assistantship and pay the students. In turn, MSU pays the graduate assistant's tuition, fees and salary, so the assistantship is directly tied to the academic experience. (pressmaster/Adobe Stock)

play sound

By Victoria Lim for WorkingNation.Broadcast version by Farah Siddiqi for Missouri News Service reporting for the WorkingNation-Public News Service Col…


Social Issues

play sound

A new report brands Connecticut's tax system as "regressive" for low- to middle-income residents and uses a report from the state to make its point…

Environment

play sound

Backers of a new federal rule said it will increase fairness for livestock and poultry producers, in North Carolina and across the country. The U.S…


A study by the advocacy group Inseparable showed one in five adults said at any given time, they consider their mental health to be either 'fair' or 'poor.' (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Mental health care advocates are encouraging federal agencies to adopt a proposed update to regulations which would expand access to psychological car…

Social Issues

play sound

With hotter summers bringing hotter working conditions, the Maryland Department of Labor is implementing a heat stress standard to protect workers …

Social Issues

play sound

By Jimmy Cloutier for OpenSecrets.Broadcast version by Roz Brown for Texas News Service reporting for the OpenSecrets-Public News Service Collaboratio…

Environment

play sound

Recreational fishermen in New England say commercial trawlers are threatening the survival of smaller businesses relying on a healthy stock of Atlanti…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021