Shattered Childhoods: The Hidden Toll of Parental Incarceration on 5 Million Kids

Source: http://standtogether.org

When Alyssa Tamboura was younger, she told people her father had died in a car accident. The truth that he was in prison was harder to bear. “There’s no shame in dying,” she explained. “Everyone dies. It’s a condition of being human, but incarceration is different. There’s so much shame around it.”

At just 11 years old, Alyssa became one of 2.7 million children in the U.S. with an incarcerated parent. She learned about her father’s 15-year sentence after he was already in custody without a chance to say goodbye. Her mother, struggling with alcoholism, refused to let her visit him, leaving Alyssa to cope with the trauma alone. “I processed it by shoving it down,” she said. “Denial was easier than facing the truth, especially without structured support at home.”

Today, more than 5 million children in the U.S. have experienced parental incarceration, often without the emotional or structural support they need. Studies show this experience can lead to challenges in family life, mental health, education, and beyond.

For years, Alyssa’s story reflected those struggles. But reconnecting with her father as a young adult transformed her life. While incarcerated, he participated in The Last Mile, a nonprofit teaching coding and software engineering to prepare individuals for reentry into society. His growth inspired Alyssa, and with the support of The Last Mile cofounders, Chris Redlitz and Beverly Parenti, she rediscovered hope and her potential.

Today, Alyssa Tamboura is a Yale Law School graduate, a remarkable achievement after dropping out of high school and raising her son as a single mother. Her journey raises an important question: What if we provided better support to children of incarcerated parents? Could we break the cycle of trauma and unlock brighter futures for millions, just as The Last Mile did for the Tambouras?

Read more of the story here: https://childreninfobank.com/safebank/why-it-was-easier-to-say-her-father-died-than-to-tell-the-truth/

Image Source: http://standtogether.org