The number of children with parents in prison is increasing in many countries worldwide. Theory and qualitative research suggest that parental imprisonment might contribute to child antisocial behaviour and mental health problems, because of the trauma of separation, strained child-care arrangements during parental imprisonment, loss of family income, other stressful life events such as moving home and school, and the stigma of parental imprisonment. Parental imprisonment can cause many problems for the family left behind, including difficulty organising childcare, loss of family income, trouble maintaining contact with the imprisoned parent, stigma, and home, school and neighbourhood moves. Children and parents can be distressed by the separation. Children may respond by acting out or becoming withdrawn,anxious or depressed. With rates of imprisonment growing rapidly in many countries worldwide, the possible effects of parental imprisonment on children is an issue of increasing social concern. Children of prisoners have been called the "forgotten victims" of crime, the "orphans of justice", the "hidden victims of imprisonment" "the Cinderella of penology", and the "unseen victims of the prison boom". Four key criminological theories suggest that parental imprisonment might cause an increase in child antisocial and criminal behaviour. First, social bonding theory suggests that parental imprisonment might harm children because parentchild separation disrupts children's attachment relations. Second, strain theory suggests that the loss of family income and other negative life events after parental imprisonment might cause an increase in offending behaviour. According to strain theory, life stresses tend to increase negative affect and cause children to attack or try to escape the source of adversity, use illegitimate means to achieve their goals, or manage the negative affect through use of illicit drugs. Third, social control theory suggests that parental imprisonment might cause delinquency via reduced quality of care and supervision of children. Fourth, labeling theory suggests that social stigma and official bias following parental imprisonment might cause an increased probability of the child being charged or convicted for criminal behaviour. These processes of attachment disruption, strain, poor quality childcare,and stigma are also associated with mental health problems for children. Hence, parental imprisonment might contribute to both antisocial behaviour and mental health problems for children. Mentoring programs have been rampant since 1980's especially in the U.S. Based on the evaluation studies of the effectiveness of these programs, mentoring programs have been reformed and evolved. Despite the proved effectiveness of mentoring programs in various countries in the world, educational studies in Korea have been almost indifferent in mentoring and the mentoring programs. Through analyzing the evolution and the effect of the mentoring program in the U.S, this study examines the significance of the mentoring programs as a support for the linking life-long development.