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AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — A new study of federal child health data shows that Maine has the highest percentage of children with an incarcerated parent among all New England states.
The analysis, titled "A Shared Sentence," found that during the two-year period from 2011 to 2012, 8 percent of the state's children reported having at least one parent imprisoned at some point during their childhood. Maine has the 14th highest rate in the nation.
It wasn't immediately clear how Maine's parental incarceration rates have changed over the years.
Six percent of Vermont children reported having had an incarcerated parent. Four other regional states reported 5 percent.
Officials with the state Department of Corrections say the state's opioid crisis is largely responsible for the incarceration of many Maine mothers.
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