Along with the increase in the U.S. prison population, the number of children and adults with a parent who has served time in jail or prison has increased exponentially. Research generally shows that the offspring of fathers who have been incarcerated have increased risks for arrests, dropping out of high school, using hard drugs, offending, being idle (not in school and not working), and experiencing adverse mental health outcomes. In the research reviewed, paternal incarceration is not explained by poverty, genetic predisposition toward delinquent behavior, or family and neighborhood conditions. The author's own research found that the majority of individuals with incarcerated parents were not arrested as adults and that no single variable explained away the effect of a father's incarceration. The effect of the parent's incarceration was apparently nullified by children being involved in school, being raised with both biological parents, having a lack of unstructured time with peers, and by parents sharing at least one mail daily with their children. Decreasing the use of incarceration and increasing targeted interventions for children, youth, and young adults with incarcerated parents would provide significant economic and social benefits. In using Add Health for his research, the author obtained data on a nationally representative sample of 15,000 respondents ages 18-25, who also completed follow-up interviews in 2001-2002. Data were collected on a number of important social issues, including relationships (parental and romantic relationships), health outcomes, behaviors, and criminal justice involvement. 2 tables and 10 notes