Multilevel Effects of Parental Incarceration on Adult Children's Neighborhood Disadvantage

Few studies have considered whether the consequences associated with parental incarceration extend beyond the children who experience the event, and whether the influence of parental incarceration varies by the context in which it occurs. This study investigates the multilevel consequences of parental incarceration by examining the relationship between individual-and neighborhood-level rates of parental, maternal, and paternal incarceration and adult neighborhood disadvantage. We consider the interrelated association between individual-and neighborhood-level parental, maternal, and paternal incarceration and the neighborhood children attain in adulthood. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, we find that the influence of individual-level parental incarceration, and particularly paternal incarceration, is weaker in contexts where parental incarceration is commonplace.