American Voice

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? 

The results of a study posted by the New York Times show that life after foster care is a disaster, to word it lightly. Individuals that turn 18 and have aged out of foster care, have shown on an overwhelming scale that they are unable to succeed with the tools, (or lack of tools), that are given to them.

Here are some of the numbers according to the NYT:

• Only half of the youth who age out of foster care are employed by their mid twenties. 
•  Six in ten men have been convicted of a crime.
• Three in four women receive some form of public assistance (many of these women have children of their own.)
• Only six in 100 have completed even a community college degree.

These are extremely disturbing statistics, especially when many of these foster homes were set into place for the improvement of the child's well being. However, there is already work being done to solve this dilemma.

There are programs that are being set up to mentor and assist these young people after they leave foster care. These kids often need a sense of direction and guidance, but have no one to turn to. But these mentor programs that are being set up are already having positive results.


The foster families shown in these pics are just one of thousands of foster families in the country. However, once many of these kids leave foster care they are virtually helpless.

(Please continue reading below...)

The NYT  reports that one gentleman recently aged out of foster care is now doing quite well on his own, because of the mentor ship that was provided. The gentleman is attending a community college and works at a printer cartridge company. This is outstanding compared to the fate that many other foster children before him have met.

Mentoring these kids after leaving foster care is the first of many steps that need to be taken to ensure that our youth succeed. Remember, it not only hurts them if they fail. It hurts us as well. Think about it.