Here you will find the latest updates from this site and in the field including the following:
International News: UN Day of Discussion, International Symposium, New Website and Study, and the 2012 International Study Week/Seminar for Children of Prisoners
New Report: Safeguarding NY’s Children of Incarcerated Parents
NYC Premiere of Mothers of Bedford
Family Justice Program Publication: Setting an Agenda for Family-focused Justice Reform
Centerforce Presents: The Original Training for Mentors: Mentoring Children of Prisoners-Training for Trainers (An Extraordinary Savings Opportunity!)
Blog of Interest - Immigrant Children of Incarcerated Parents
New Film – “LIFE WITHOUT: Youth With Incarcerated Parents Tell Their Own Stories”
A Resource for Caregivers – Difficult Questions Children Ask, and Answers that Can Help: A Caregiver’s Guide
NRCCFI Special Project – Visiting and How to Get There: A Survey of Program Models Offering Transportation for Prison Visiting
CSG Justice Center Unveils Federal Action Plan for Improving Responses to Children of Incarcerated Parents
Plus … (jump below for more)
International News: UN Day of Discussion, International Symposium, New Website and Study, and the 2012 International Study Week/Seminar for Children of Prisoners
- UN day of discussion on children of incarcerated parents is taking place in Geneva on Sept 30. FCN was part of the petitioning committee that worked to have Children of the Incarcerated be the focus of this year’s day of discussion in the committee on the rights of the child. The deadline for submitting written items is August 5. For more info, visit the following link: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/crc/discussion2011.htm.
- Save the Date! FCN will be collaborating with the Chinese Red Heart Association – a non-profit organization in Taiwan serving families of the incarcerated – as they host an International Symposium on Children of the Incarcerated on Sept 13-14 2012 in Taipei. The purpose of this symposium is to become the cradle of new ideas and understand more about international services (such as clients and particular experiences influencing various service models). FCN Executive Director, Ann Adalist-Estrin will be presenting on Responding to the Needs of Children and Families of the Incarcerated in the US. For an English version of their website, visit http://www.redheart.org.tw/index.php?code=list&ids=32. More info to come.
- Pillars in New Zealand has a new web site for children of the incarcerated as well as a 2010 follow up report on their 2009 study on CIPs http://www.pillars.org.nz/.
- Wells of Hope will present an International Study Week/Seminar on Children of Prisoners on June 4-9th, 2012 in Kampala, Uganda. This study week/seminar will discuss and jointly develop an Action Agenda for Children Whose Parents Are in Prison, while promoting friendship, solidarity, and one spirit among people serving vulnerable children whose parents are in prison from all over the world. The week includes visiting remote villages and isolated peoples – especially grandmothers – who care for the children of their children in prison. For more information, visit them online at www.wellsofhope.net.
Safeguarding NY’s Children of Incarcerated Parents
Check out this new report from the Osborne Association’s New York Initiative for Children of Incarcerated Parents, here.
NYC Premiere of Mothers of Bedford
When: Thursday, June 30, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Maysles Cinema, 343 Malcolm X Blvd/ Lenox Ave (Between 127th & 128th Streets
Visit here to see the trailer.
Family Justice Program Publication: Setting an Agenda for Family-focused Justice Reform
Vera Institute of Justice is pleased to announce a Family Justice Program publication titled, “Setting an Agenda for Family-focused Justice Reform” with the help of FCN and other organizations with like-minded goals. You may also be interested in a guest blog by Chris Wildeman from Yale commenting on the report.
Extraordinary Savings Opportunity! The Original Training for Mentors: Mentoring Children of Prisoners-Training for Trainers
by Ann Adalist-Estrin
(Adapted for Program Downsizing)
June 29 and 30, 2011
Centerforce in San Raphael California invites you to attend:
The Mentoring Children of Prisoners Curriculum , created in 2003 has been delivered to 130 agencies in 46 states. It has now been adapted to provide agency trainers/staff with a variety of tools for training mentors to have new or on-going relationships with mentees who have an incarcerated family member. The goal of the training is to assist agencies with providing high quality training in the face of budget challenges and program downsizing. It will give participants knowledge and new skills for initial and ongoing training of mentors, and for building an agency wide base of understanding and awareness about children of the incarcerated, their families, and the community services and programs that can be part of service delivery partnerships. The training will also include policy and procedure discussion s for preparing mentors for matches that end or transition to different agencies or programs.
Curriculum Contents
I. Mentoring for Children of Prisoners: What it was, what it is and what it can be.
II.Who are the Children of Prisoners? Characteristics and Variations
III.Family Matters
IV.Honoring the Significance of the Incarcerated Parent
V. The Impact of Culture, Race, Language, and Ethnicity on Children and Families of Prisoners
VI. Establishing Trust, Promoting Attachment and Building Emotional Strength
VII. Encouraging Competence and Confidence
VIII. Sustaining Faith, Hope and Meaning
IX. Supporting the Parent/Child Family Relationships of Children of Prisoners
X. Policies, procedures and ethics in match terminations and transitions.
The Mentoring Children of Prisoners/ Training of Trainers is 14 hours of training delivered in 2 days.
The cost of this training is $150.00 per person plus travel expenses and lodging.
The space for this opportunity is limited and participants will be registered on a first come first served basis.
Contact Teresa Lee at Centerforce TODAY to reserve your space!
Fax: (415) 456-2146
tlee@centerforce.org
First Focus Blog – Uniting Our Voices for Immigrant Children of Incarcerated Parents
For more information and resources, visit First Focus.
New Training Video from Our Partners: “LIFE WITHOUT: Youth With Incarcerated Parents Tell Their Own Stories”
What is life like for children whose mothers or fathers are incarcerated? What happens to parents and grandparents left to care for these children apart from the imprisoned parent? A group of youth spent a week together in the summer of 2009 learning how documentary films are made and then using this new knowledge to tell their own stories of having a parent in prison. The result is Life Without, a series of six poignant vignettes produced by these youth. With a running time of 35 minutes, the video is perfectly suited as a training tool in a wide variety of settings. For more info, including how to order, visit our Products and Publications, Available from Our Partners page.
Arizona Family Members Behind Bars: Difficult Questions Children Ask, and Answers that Can Help: A Caregiver’s Guide to Arizona’s Criminal Justice System from Arrest to Release
This guide, from Kare Family Center of the Arizona’s Children Association, Pima Prevention Partnership, and the AZ Stars Collaboration – is newly available in both English and Spanish, along with an accompanying Activity Packet. Visit our Products and Publications, Available from Our Partners page for more info.
Visiting and How to Get There: A Survey of Program Models Offering Transportation for Prison Visiting
By Dee Ann Newell Policy Forum Writer and Eva DeLair Special Projects Coordinator, NRCCFI
“at the time of my incarceration […] the receiving prison was located about 2 hours from my home but there was no direct bus transportation to the prison. Each time my mother attempted to bring my son to prison she had to get a ride and that was not easy, she had to depend on the kindness of others, even when offering to pay their expenses getting to prison was a hassle.” -Anonymous
Strong family ties during imprisonment can have a positive impact on people returning from prison and on their children. Some research suggests that parenting programs in prison reduce recidivism, improving the chances of successful re-entry. People returning home from prison who have access to family support fare better than those who do not on a range of re-entry outcomes. Read More =>
CSG Justice Center Unveils Federal Action Plan for Improving Responses to Children of Incarcerated Parents
New York—The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center announced at a Capitol Hill briefing on October 26, the release of Children of Incarcerated Parents: An Action Plan for Federal Policymakers. The plan outlines promising practices and 70-plus recommendations for improving outcomes for the more than 1.7 million children of incarcerated parents. Supported by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and Open Society Institute, the publication reflects the work of an advisory board of criminal justice and child welfare experts, representatives of community-based organizations, and a bipartisan group of state and local government officials.
“Corrections, child welfare, and other agencies that encounter children of incarcerated parents can better coordinate their efforts to provide the care and services they need,” said advisory board co-chair Robin Arnold-Williams, Director, Executive Policy Office of Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire. “The Justice Center partnered with leaders in the field to ensure the action plan guides policymakers on the best strategies to ensure that these children are safe and secure. It is one of the most comprehensive summaries of key policy changes needed for this vulnerable population.”
Read the CSG Federal Action Plan.
Families and Service Providers Convened
In response to the proposed recommendations by CSG, a series of focus groups and town hall-style meetings were convened by NRCCFI in Arkansas, Pennsylvania, California and Illinois. Read more about the focus group feedback and the CSG Action plan in our Policy Forum.
Research Consultant Susan Phillips also discusses the CSG Recommendations in her Research and Review Commentary.
Plus …
Barnard University Focuses Current Webjournal on Children of the Incarcerated
“Children of Incarcerated Parents“ is focus of the Spring 2010 Issues of The Scholar and Feminist Online webjournal from The Barnard Center for Research on Women. Contributors include Ann Adalist-Estrin, asha bandele, Nell Bernstein, Stacey Bouchet, Creasie Finney Hairston, Denise Johnston, Tanya Krupat, Carrie Levy, Venezia Michalsen, Dee Ann Newell, Megan Sullivan and Angie Vachio.
PRICE SLASH on “Shadows: Children, Families and the Legacy of Incarceration”
Check out our Books and Films page for a price slash on the film Shadows: Children, Families and the Legacy of Incarceration
by Tova: Artistic Project for Social Change. Originally $50, this film now can be purchased for $30.
“Be Sure Your Child is Cared For and Safe” – A Flyer from The NYS Permanent Judicial Commission on Justice for Children
This flyer was designed to help parents who have been arrested plan for their children. Though it is a NYS resource, it might be a model for other states. It describes and provides forms to designate a person in parental relation so that their children have caregivers with the legal ability to make education and medical decisions for their children. While the flyer does not provide legal advice, it does explain various short- and long-term options that help parents plan appropriately for their children’s care and provides information about resources that can be helpful to the parent, their children and their children’s caregivers.
You can download the flyer in English and Spanish on the Commission’s website. Copies of the flyer can also be ordered through an electronic order form from this website. The English hard copy is currently available and the Spanish version is expected to be available in June. The flyer will be available for download in Chinese, Russian, Arabic, Korean, Bengali, Haitian Creole and French later this year.
New Website – “Time On the Outside: Stories of Families and Incarceration”
In the next few months, Shannon Heffernan, as part of a Soros Media Fellowship will launch a new website: Time On the Outside: Stories of Families and Incarceration.
The site will feature in-depth stories of how incarceration impacts families. The site will help to educate the greater public and let families hear from people in similar situations.
NRCCFI is partnering with Ms. Heffernan to assist her in connecting with families if the incarcerated for this project.
You can participate by sharing your story on the anonymous hotline. Just call: 951-262-3339 and start speaking. The hotline is anonymous, stories may be edited for length, but we will work to be true to the original message.
Program providers can share this with family members or assist them in calling in during program activities.
Suggestions for topics to share include: What was the day your loved one got arrested like? What are some special things you do to maintain contact? What are phone calls or visits like? If you could change one thing about the prison system what would it be? What was it like when your loved one returned? How has your family handled the fiancees of having a loved one away? Whats one thing people don’t understand about families of the incarcerated?
Please direct any questions about this project to Ms. Heffernan by leaving her a message on the hotline.
The Earned Income Credit and Child Tax Credit: Helping Individuals Released From Prison Maximize Their Earnings
According to U.S. Department of Justice reports, approximately 650,000 former state and federal prisoners reenter society each year. Individuals with criminal records often have trouble finding employment and since they may be “starting over”, their resources are extremely limited. When they do obtain a job, it is often low-wage or intermittent employment, making it difficult for them to achieve financial stability. Another ten million individuals are released from local jails each year and experience similar barriers to employment. The Earned Income Credit and Child Tax Credit can provide additional support for eligible former prisoners and jail which improve their ability to obtain long-term employment and reduce the risk of recidivism.
In addition, the Department of Justice reports that more than half of the 1.4 million adults incarcerated in state and federal prisons are parents of minor children. When a parent is incarcerated a relative often steps in to care for the child. Since these relative caretakers are likely to not have budgeted for raising a child, the EIC and CTC can help family members who become the caregivers of the child of a person who is incarcerated.
Click here for more information on EIC and CTC, including information on who qualifies and how to get this credit.
Mentoring Children of the Incarcerated Program News
Several regional initiatives focused on the children of the incarcerated have been spearheaded by Big Brothers Big Sisters Agencies with Mentoring Children of Prisoners Programs resulting in unprecedented collaborations and systems change. These types of partnerships are changing public images about children of the incarcerated and are also creating new groups of advocates for the children and their families.
For past news, visit our Archived News page.