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# Legislative Overview: The Family Preservation and Accountability Act
- URL: https://www.bluegrassinstitute.org/the-family-preservation-and-accountability-act/
- Published: 2025-11-10T13:25:36.000Z
- Updated: 2025-11-10T13:25:35.000Z
- Description: Courts should be required to consider an individual’s caregiver status before sentencing for non-violent offenses.
- Author: Staff
- Tags: Policy Brief, Criminal Justice Reform

Kentucky has one of the highest rates of children with incarcerated parents in the U.S., with an estimated 12% of children affected. The impact of parental incarceration has long-lasting consequences on children’s health, education, and future involvement in the justice system. With 64% of women and 55% of men incarcerated in Kentucky being parents, the need for change is urgent.

The **Family Preservation and Accountability Act** addresses these challenges by expanding sentencing alternatives for primary caregivers convicted of non-violent offenses. This bill prioritizes family unity, reduces harm from the separation of parents and children, and offers a rehabilitative approach that preserves the parent-child relationship while safeguarding child safety.

**Sentencing Alternatives for Primary Caregivers:** Courts are required to consider an individual’s caregiver status before sentencing for non-violent offenses and explore alternatives to incarceration when the individual does not pose a safety risk.

**Focus on Rehabilitation:** The bill encourages sentences that support the parent-child relationship, including parenting programs, mental health counseling, and vocational training to reduce recidivism and improve family stability.

**Transparency and Accountability:** Courts must provide written findings on sentencing alternatives, and the Administrative Office of the Courts must report annually to the Kentucky General Assembly on the bill’s implementation and impact.

- **Reduces adverse childhood experience** by preserving healthy parent-child relationships;
- **Lowers foster care placements** by enabling primary caregivers to remain at home;
- **Supports rehabilitation** to reduce recidivism and improve family stability;
- **Enhances public safety** through community-based alternatives to incarceration.

[2025 Family Preservation Act (FPA) OverviewThe impact of parental incarceration has long-lasting consequences on children.2025 Family Preservation Act (FPA) Overview.pdf1 MBdownload-circle](https://www.bluegrassinstitute.org/content/files/2025/10/2025-Family-Preservation-Act--FPA--Overview.pdf "Download")