Nickelodeon Explores the Lives of Children of Incarcerated Parents on Nick News With Linda Ellerbee: Kids of Cons Sunday May 20 at 8:30 P.M. (ET/PT)

NEW YORK, May 8 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 10 million kids across America have had a parent incarcerated at some point in their lives. These children are traumatized by the separation from their parents, confused by their parent's actions and stigmatized by the shame of the situation. The award- winning series, Nick News, delves into the lives of children of with parents behind bars as Nick News with Linda Ellerbee presents Kids of Cons premiering Sunday, May 20 at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT on Nickelodeon.

"As a nation, we like to put people in jail but when we do, we also incarcerate a whole family," said Ellerbee. "This episode puts faces on and gives voices to a community of kids who are often forgotten and are the most at risk."

Nick News with Linda Ellerbee: Kids of Cons features: * 11-year-old Krystal lives with her grandmother in Tacoma, Washington. Her mother has been in and out of prison for most of her life and currently is back behind bars. Krystal's family does not live together; her younger brother lives with her dad and her sister lives with her boyfriend. Krystal struggles with anger towards her mother, who often spends much of her rare time out of prison away from Krystal. At least when her mom is in prison, Krystal's able to find her. Krystal feels alone, friendless, and stigmatized by her mother's situation, but she still loves her mother and visits her often. She feels that her mother wants to be a better mom; but just doesn't know how. * In Hartford, Connecticut there are so many kids with parents incarcerated that the stigma of being in prison almost doesn't exist. Marcus Maldonado has been in prison for 13 years. The Maldonado kids are poster children for kids with a parent in prison: The youngest child, Marcus Jr., never knew his dad as a free man. Yamaira, one of the twins, could be heading down a path like her father -- she's already showing signs of aggressive behavior and anger. She gets in fights in school, hangs out with "bad/tough" guys, and the threat of jail doesn't scare her. But both girls worship their father. There are photos of him strewn all over their bedroom mirror. These kids represent a group where just about every man they know is either in jail, or has been. In fact, they know so many people in jail that they think of incarceration as a normal way of life. * Marilyn Gambrell, a teacher and former parole officer in Houston, Texas, has started a youth group to help Kids of Cons called "No More Victims." They attend this support session daily and take part in an acting class to learn how to express themselves. The program takes groups of these kids into the prisons to talk to inmates about their lives and the choices they've made. More than 600 kids have been involved in the program. There are kids who didn't believe they would live to be 18, but after attending this program, are now in college. * The show concludes in Arlington, Texas, with the story of Jamar Gipson, a 13-year-old boy whose father began serving a life sentence when Jamar was three months old. Jamar has not seen his dad for 11 years and had been heading down his father's path. Thanks to the intervention and friendship of Charles Pierson of the Big Brothers and Big Sisters program, that has changed. Jamar's work has improved in school and he excels in sports and is no longer an angry young man. He even visits his dad now, and writes to him in prison, trying to rekindle their relationship. Jamar dreams of playing in the NBA or being the 'best real estate person the world has ever known'. His is a story of hope and triumph over tragic circumstance.

President George W. Bush said, "America is the land of the second chance -- and when the gates of the prison open, the path ahead should lead to a better life." Not only is this rarely true for people who have been in prison, but it is rarely true for their children, who often live in a reality that has become a prison itself. This episode invites viewers to explore the realities other kids face.

Nick News, which recently celebrated its 15th year anniversary, is the longest-running kids' news show in television history, and has built its reputation on the respectful and direct way it speaks to kids about the important issues of the day. In 2005, it won the Emmy for Outstanding Children's Programming for its show, From the Holocaust to the Sudan. In 1994, the entire series, Nick News, won the Emmy for Outstanding Children's Programming. In 1998, "What Are You Staring At?" a program about kids with physical disabilities, won the Emmy for Outstanding Children's Programming. In 2002, "Faces of Hope: The Kids of Afghanistan," won the Emmy for Outstanding Children's Programming. In 2004, two Nick News Specials, "The Courage to Live: Kids, South Africa and AIDS" and "There's No Place Like Home," a special about homeless kids in America, were both nominated for the Outstanding Children's Programming Emmy. In fact, Nick News has received more than 20 Emmy nominations. Nick News, produced by Lucky Duck Productions, is also the recipient of three Peabody Awards, including a personal one given to Ellerbee for her coverage, for kids, of the President Clinton investigation; two Columbia duPont Awards; and more than a dozen Parents' Choice Awards.

Nickelodeon, in its 28th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in almost 92 million households and has been the number-one- rated basic cable network for almost 12 consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. .