Parenting from Prison

Parenting from Prison

Kathy Shreeve

10/26/2011

Human Development

Fri 9am

Alicia Volk

Most people can understand how prison can devastate one's life. One mistake can put an end to one's dreams and change their remaining years forever. However, very little prominence is placed on what effect prison has on the children of incarcerated parents. Raising and parenting children when both parents are in the home is a challenge. When one of the parents has been incarcerated and will stay in prison for an extended sentence, the issues increase. Inmates who work to stay involved with their children do better as do their children.

Communication between incarcerated parents and their children is critical to maintaining emotional attachments. Children learn that their parents have not forgotten them and that they are still loved. Imprisoned parents do not often know what is happening to their children. The only way he or she knows is when he receives news from his significant other or from family members. Most of the time they feel guilty for not being home to help with the day to day routines and details of parenting. Although for some it is a blessing, most of these situations could be handled in different ways. All of the correctional facility offer parenting and counseling classes for them during their incarceration.

There are many daunting facts about children of incarcerated parents:

* On any given day, over 1.5 million children in this country-approximately 2% of the minor children, have a parent serving in a state or federal prison.

* Sixty-three percent of federal prisoners and 55 percent of state prisoners are parents of children under the age of 18.

Why does this topic interest me, well four years ago on a September evening I was sitting at home and received a collect call from my son who was in jail. As the call progressed I came to

realize that this was it, he was going to prison. As my heart fell to the floor I began to question myself as a mother and how I had failed him. What was next, there were so my question going thru my head. What about my grandchildren? How were they going to deal with this? As the years have gone by, my son has been involved in parenting classes within the prison as a part of his incarceration. He has completed the recommended courses including one call Pathways. Upon graduating from the parenting class, we were invited to the graduation event at Two River Correctional Institution.

Family members including parents and children are allowed to spend the day with their loved one; they put on puppet shows for the children and read to them. The inmates thru out there course make pictures for the kids to color and are allowed to purchase teddy bears which are presented along with a gift basket of goodies for everyone. The teddy bears they give to their children, who attend the graduation, represent the ones that