The last three years have brought a dramatic shift in the field for those working with children and families of the incarcerated. The impact of parental incarceration on children has begun to influence federal, state and local policy as well as impacting programs and practices in schools, child welfare agencies and correctional facilities.
NRCCFI participates in many projects that focus on the intersection of policy and practice. Our goal is to examine policy and advocacy initiatives, promising programs and evidence based practices, to solicit feedback from those directly impacted by incarceration-children of the incarcerated, caregivers and incarcerated parents and to promote awareness of national resources and initiatives.
Program Spotlight: “What Will Happen to Me?”
Howard Zehr and Lorraine Stutzman Amstutz, professors at Eastern Mennonite University, have created Children of Prisoners, a remarkable photo-textual book of children of the incarcerated and their caregivers. Howard Zehr (‘grandfather of restorative justice’ and an internationally renowned photographer) provided the beautiful portraits, and Lorraine Stutzman Amstutz (social worker and restorative justice mediator) provided the text from interviews she conducted with the children. Read More =>
Policy Forum
This section highlights policy initiatives and shares policy perspectives of service providers and family members, as well as policy makers and advocates. Read More =>
Bill of Rights for Children of the Incarcerated Technical Assistance Project
NRCCFI hosted Soros Fellow, Dee Ann Newell, in a project to provide technical assistance to 14 states pursuing improvement in policies and practices affecting children with incarcerated parents and their families. The National Bill of Rights Project, initiated as a pilot effort for a future and larger policy reform movement needed on behalf of children of incarcerated parents. Read More =>
Mentoring Children of Incarcerated Parents
NRCCFI has been providing training and technical assistance to Mentoring programs across the US for the last 6 years. This mentoring page will convey to visitors, lessons learned from mentoring agencies across the country. Read more =>