LAUSR

With nearly one in every 36 adults under some form of correctional supervision (whether in prison or jail, on probation, or parole), parental incarceration—which just a few decades ago was considered a rare event—is now experienced by a sizeable number of American children. Estimates suggest that at least five million, and possibly upwards of eight million, children nationwide are impacted. As such, understanding and documenting the intergenerational consequences of mass incarceration have become increasingly important to practitioners, policymakers, and academic researchers alike. In this article, we present an overview of research about parental incarceration and children's outcomes. First, we briefly outline who is the most at risk for experiencing parental incarceration before providing an overview of recent multi‐ and interdisciplinary research on the impact of parental incarceration on children's behavioral, educational, and health outcomes. We then discuss the strengths, challenges, and unique contributions of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed‐methods approaches to studying the consequences of parental incarceration. Finally, we conclude by identifying gaps in current literature and areas ripe for further development, drawing special attention to the potential for the field to identify and test mechanisms, connect microlevel and macrolevel analyses and understand pathways for resilience in children and families.