American Voice: CHILDREN, FOSTER CARE, AND PRISON

CHILDREN, FOSTER CARE, AND PRISON

Posted: Wednesday, August 21, 2013 by Unknown in Labels: foster care, prison

Is there a link between children in foster care systems and the prison system of the United States? Consider this...

Within a year and a half of leaving foster care:

27% of males and 10% of females are incarcerated.
33% receive public assistance
37% have not finished high school
And a whopping 50% are unemployed

Think that's amazing? Well, also think about this - 3 of 10 of the nation's homeless are former foster care children.

Here's the kicker:

Children are 11 times more likely to be abused in state care than in their own home.
The overall child victim of maltreatment rate in 2007 was 10.6 victims per every 1,000 children. The rate for state child victim rates? Up to 26.3 victims per every 1,000 children.
It is over 5 times more likely that a child dies as a result of abuse in foster care than a child in general population
2% of all child fatalities happen in foster care - which is a horrifically high number considering that out of all the children in the general population, only .4% are in foster care. That's right - .4%.

So, is there a link between children in foster care systems and the United States prison system?