It’s Sunday today – a day that usually children spend with their parents, playing, laughing and enjoying the family get-together.
Unfortunately, for many children, Sunday can be a sad day – if they have parents who are in prison. The same goes for parents who are in prison.
Talking on the phone is no substitute for spending the whole day together, but it can be a positive experience of connection.
In one of our previous posts, we started talking about children as victims of high prison phone prices, and also about the benefits of staying in touch with family – both for children and for inmates.
As numerous studies show, inmates who keep in touch with their families have a better time adjusting when they get out, and a much lower recidivism rate.
One good example is a program in the Richmond City Jail, where more than 90% of the inmates are parents. In order to help the inmates connect with their children, and keep them out of jail for good, the sheriff started parenting classes at the jail. Inmates who participate in the program get to spend face-to-face time with their children, more often than the regular once per month visit, behind glass.
Photo courtesy: http://blogs.reuters.com/photographers-blog/2012/05/11/mothers-day-behind-bars/
The results are great – a three-year study showed that inmates who were in the parenting program had a reduced recidivism rate of 18%. And the effects on the children are great too – they feel more in touch with their parents.
If you have parents, or children, in prison let us know how you are doing: http://prisoncalldeals.com/your-voice
To read more about this issue, as well as watch a good report about it, see: http://wtvr.com/2014/07/07/jail-parenting-class/ on CBS 6 WTVR.
See a good photo report about Mother’s Day behind bars: http://blogs.reuters.com/photographers-blog/2012/05/11/mothers-day-behind-bars/ and let us know what you think or what your experience is.
