How old was Charles Dickens when his father went to jail?

Well, honey, Charles Dickens was just a wee lad of 12 when his dear old dad landed himself in the slammer. Daddy dearest got himself into some financial trouble and ended up behind bars, leaving young Charles to fend for himself and start working in a boot-blacking factory. And that, my friend, is the not-so-fairy-tale beginning of one of the greatest literary legends of all time.