Research Articles

Second Chances, Lifelong Consequences: A Conversation on Extreme Sentencing and the People It Leaves Behind What does it mean to sentence someone to life without the possibility of parole? And what happens to everyone left in the wake of that decision, the person incarcerated, their children, their families, and their communities? These were the questions at the heart of UnLocked’s guest event featuring the Maryland Second Look Coalition, bringing together three voices with deeply personal […]

ICE’s New Policies and What They Mean for Children Author: Hannah February 25, 2026 Introduction Violent arrests and raids conducted by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency have been growing for months now. In 2025, thirty-two people died in ICE custody, making it the deadliest year recorded since the early 2000s (Bustillo & Mukherjee 2025). Reviewed figures by The Guardian also show that there have been about 73,000 people currently in detention, similarly making

Breaking Barriers: Join the Policy & Familial Incarceration Panel at UMD On April 16th, 2026, students, advocates, and community members will gather at the University of Maryland for a powerful and timely conversation on one of the most pressing issues in our society: the intersection of policy, incarceration, and its impact on families. Hosted by The UnLocked Project, the Policy & Familial Incarceration Panel brings together a dynamic group of leaders, scholars, and lived experience

U.S. & Immigration: Definitions, Current Events, and Importance Author: Maria November 22, 2025 Over the past few months, there has been a lot of political and social turmoil as the new administration has been targeting different domains in the U.S. The topic of immigration, in particular, has been receiving a lot of attention due to all the new policies targeting and attacking it. This paper will explore some of the important definitions regarding immigration, current

When Hunger Meets Incarceration: How Parental Incarceration Fuels Food Insecurity Author: Ava Meisner October 2, 2025 Lorem ip Children, Incarceration, and Food Insecurity Research has indicated that children with incarcerated parents can be 7.5 times more likely to experience food insecurity than their peers due to these intersecting stressors (Muentner, 2024). In 2013, a study showed that formerly incarcerated people are twice as likely to face food insecurity (Lombe and Nebbitt, 2021). A main contributing

BLOG — March 6, 2025 Author: Nadja Miljkovic   While incarceration rates have dramatically increased since the 1970s, it also means that the amount of incarcerated parents with dependent children has increased as well. Parental incarceration has extensive effects and risk factors on the children affected, one of which is the child’s educational progression.  Children with an incarcerated parent face stigmas and strain within their family system that are linked with poor academic outcomes. These

BLOG — Feb. 13, 2025 Author: Nadja Miljkovic Children of currently or formerly incarcerated parents go through much more than the surface level of what incarceration is. Further aspects of parental incarceration include: Loss of a parental figure in the household Witnessing parental arrest Loss of parent’s income  Facing the stigma of having an incarcerated parent Children with incarcerated parents are more likely to deal with mental health concerns. These mental health concerns include: Internalization

Why Parental Incarceration Matters BLOG — Nov 4, 2024 Author: Nadja Miljkovic Risk Factors of Parental Incarceration Discussing parental incarceration is important due to its significant and long-lasting impacts on the children affected. Parental incarceration is considered to be one of the ten adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) because of its effects on long-term well-being. Increased exposure to ACEs creates a higher likelihood that the child may develop harmful health and social behaviors such as smoking,