Vera Institute of Justice

Overview

Maternal incarceration may affect the number of children entering foster care and the length of time they spend in care. In collaboration with the New York City Administration for Children's Services, Vera researchers examined the patterns of arrest and incarceration of mothers of children in foster care by matching child welfare and criminal justice records, focusing on children who entered foster care in 1991 and 1996. This report presents the rates of conviction and incarceration of mothers of children in foster care and examines the sequence in which maternal arrest, incarceration, and foster care placement occurred.