Children’s Exposure to Recent Family Member Criminal Legal System Involvement

What is the prevalence of children’s exposure to family criminal legal contacts (CLCs), and how does prevalence vary by relationship type, child age, and cohort from 2000 to 2021?This cross-sectional study of more than 76 million children in the US found that approximately 15% had a family member criminally charged within the past 5 years, with rates tripling from 6.6% in 2000 to 2001 to 19.6% in 2018 to 2019. A substantial portion of this prevalence was parent CLCs, particularly among younger children.Given the adverse consequences of family CLCs for children, these findings suggest that high and increasing rates of prevalence may pose a serious public health threat to child well-being.

Corresponding Author: Naoka Carey, JD, PhD, New York University School of Law, 245 Sullivan St, Furman Hall C-31, New York, NY 10012 (naoka.carey@nyu.edu).

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