The most recent waves of national inmate surveys in which the author was involved found that the number of parents in State and Federal prisons with children under 18 years old more than doubled between 1986 and 1997 (Johnson and Waldfogel, 2002). A larger share of both mothers and fathers were incarcerated for drug offenses in 1997 than in 1986; and more parents incarcerated during 1997, particularly mothers, reported histories of physical or sexual abuse, prior incarceration of their family members, and regular drug use prior to incarceration. Although there are few empirical studies of the effects of a parent's incarceration on his/her children, descriptive and anecdotal evidence indicates that such youth have distinctive emotional and psychological problems that can lead to aggression and delinquent behavior. In addition to the multiple problems that accompany the separation of a child from a parent, incarceration as the cause of such separation carries the additional burden of social stigma. Studies have shown that boys who experience separation from a parent due to incarceration exhibited more antisocial and delinquent outcomes than boys separated from parents for other reasons. In discussing factors that can aggravate or mitigate negative experiences for children of incarcerated parents, the article focuses on the family configuration prior to incarceration, the children's relationships with parents and substitute caregivers during the incarceration, and the timing of the incarceration in relation to the children's developmental stage. 24 references