Parental Incarceration and Children's Human Rights

International laws call for the best interests of children to be considered at every stage of a parent’s involvement in a criminal legal process. Yet in the United States, as well as in many other countries, children are largely invisible when courts determine whether their parents will be incarcerated. This Hub residency will focus on how legal systems violate children’s human rights by not considering their best interests in such cases, and how promising alternatives to parental incarceration can be implemented in Minnesota and beyond.

This project is a collaboration between the University of Minnesota’s Human Rights Program and nonprofit Children of Incarcerated Caregivers. It will consist of a two-semester University of Minnesota seminar, interactive monthly workshops, and a symposium to be held in May 2025. The workshops will convene community partners, people with lived experience, and academic experts to explore proposals and ideas. Throughout the year, students will develop policy alternatives to parental incarceration and will present these alternatives to local decision-makers—potentially bringing real change to Minnesota.