Steps to Home The Importance of Family Relationships

Steps to Home The Importance of Family Relationships in Successful Reentry One Chapter of the Pittsburgh Child Guidance Foundation’s Study of the Impact of Parental Incarceration on Children

What is the role of family in corrections and reentry? A. Families are a nuisance and a liability. They enable and are part of the problem. B. Families are the primary source of stability, support, and motivation. Without them success is unlikely. C. All of the above.

Families Currently Contribute • More than $2 million a year to the Jail’s Welfare Fund • Court clothes, and when they are lost, additional clothes • Care for 80%-90% of the thousands of children whose parents are in the Jail each year • Write, send photos, visit, & bring children • Provide a home to go to, and powerful motivation to stay away from drugs and crime

Research Demonstrates Positive Impact of Family Relationships • La Bodega- Case management and family support brought illegal drug use down from 80% to 42%, recidivism down 50% • Urban Institute – Going Home Studies- Identified family support as the most important factor keeping offenders from returning to prison. Fathers with strong ties to children showed lower substance use. • Inmate Social Ties and Transition to Society- In Florida prisons family visits – especially in month before release - reduce and delay recidivism

Power of Relationships with Children May Explain. . • Women are twice as likely to go to jail after their child’s placement (Allegheny County Department of Human Services) • Maternal criminal activity spikes and continues to rise after child placement (ACDHS) • 85% of arrests and 90% of maternal incarcerations occurred after child placement (Vera Inst. of Justice)

The Study Questions • Round One: What happens to children in Allegheny County when their parents are arrested and incarcerated in the County Jail? • Round Two: If attachments between children and their incarcerated parents impact the mental health and success of both, what is happening in the Jail and reentry to support healthy relationships?

Is There Hope? • Many residents – Want to learn to be in healthy relationships – Want mediator/coach/counselor as guide • Some parents, children, and partners of residents never give up

Learning Relationship Skills in Jail

PROBLEM Relationships with Correctional Officers From Residents and Visitors: • Correctional officers ARE the Jail • Often described as discouraging, rude, mean, inconsistent • Some identified as helpful, consistent, and fair • Betray private information overheard at desk (nurses, caseworkers) • Control access to programs, jobs, supplies – show favoritism

PROBLEM Relationships with Correctional Officers From Correctional Officers: • Visitors often rude and accusatory One officer assigned to a pod responding to the needs of 100 people leads to great stress • Undergo “hazing” when new • • No opportunity to learn positive practices from peers • Little control over schedule or assignment • Frequent double shifts lead to exhausted staff • Not consulted about programs, not informed

SOLUTION Relationships with Correctional Officers From All: • Training, screening, selection of officers to match assignment Consistent assignment • On-going training and support •

PROBLEM & SOLUTION Relationships with Management PROBLEM • Getting form letters from Warden FAMILIES • No access to administration SOLUTION • Warden reads and responds • Publicized point person for families FAMILIES • 3 -11 shift not consistent with 7 -3 shift FAMILIES, RESIDENTS, JAIL STAFF • Orientation, training, supervision of shift commanders to assure consistency

PROBLEM Relationships with Other Residents From Residents: • Men: most disconnected, except specialized pods • Women: mind each other’s business – always on pod with nothing to do • Women: some positive residents initiate support groups – end when they leave

SOLUTION Relationships with Other Residents From All: • More well run specialized pods – Application, screening for entrance – Consistent rules & staff – Competent staff – Terminate/punish individual – not group – for infraction – Classes and activities all the time – Whole pod engages in activities together – Managed jointly by program and security • Resident-led support groups: “morning meeting”

PROBLEM Relationships with Case Workers From Residents: • Lack of time, skills, and training • Can’t help with real problems • No private conversations • Women: Unresponsive, overwhelmed From Family Members: • Not a liaison with family members • Most are not sources of information • Most are unavailable From Caseworkers: • Role does not include family relationships or connection to family • Believe family work is important and wanted

SOLUTION Relationships with Case Workers From Residents: • Real counseling with privacy for serious issues • Social Worker on each pod • Volunteers to do paperwork, calls (Chaplain’s volunteers “witness” this way)

PROBLEM & SOLUTION Relationships with Family & Children PROBLEM SOLUTION & children lack information, fear unknowns • Provide accurate information proactively – include residents and children • No model of parent role • Parental mentoring • Cut off, can’t address issues • Programs including mediation, family counseling • Very long stays, delays, no information. Especially hard on children • Speed court, accurate information to families, easy access to attorneys, parent and child “learn each other” program more and better contact visits • Families • •

PROBLEM & SOLUTION Relationships with Family & Children PROBLEM difficult, expensive, often disconnected SOLUTION • Phones • Free • Residents • Current • Visits • Train, don’t know phone number unpleasant, families different, treated same, correctional officers mistreated, no accommodation for young children or coin phone in intake, residents pay: programs or work to earn phone cards, reduce cost, guarantee length, allow cell calls phone books in intake and pods select special COs – provide support, increase contact visits, schedule & child friendly rules for families with young children

PROBLEM & SOLUTION Relationships with Family & Children PROBLEM time visitors bewildered, scolded SOLUTION • First • Rules, • Visits: • Phone long waits, might not get in schedules: post clearly in lobby and pods, send info to persons on visit lists reservations for visits; pre-screening • Visiting areas filthy, • Regular • Letters expensive, slow • Foster unsafe staff inspection (thru child’s eyes), residents clean letter writing program, free envelopes for all

PROBLEM & SOLUTION Relationships with Family & Children PROBLEM SOLUTION • Letters • Program • Pictures: • Clear • Contact • Family between institutions or within Jail prohibited mail rules unclear; ripped during shake downs; child needs also is only time resident feels human. Bad call or visit can “wreck” resident/ child/significant other for a week for communication between parents and their children in institutions rules about # of pics to send, inform family members, take pics of parents/children during visits so current & together contact as part of program, with pre-, during-, and after-contact coaching for all

SOLUTION Experiences Birthing a Child From Women Residents: • Family • If present to coach at delivery CO/Sheriff in delivery – female only • Proactive response to post-partum depression • Bonding program, visits for mothers/fathers and newborns

Special Populations Need Special Attention Children • People who are indigent • Pregnant women and new mothers • Families in conflict and children by several mothers/fathers • More than one family member incarcerated, especially parent/child • People who are illiterate • • Custodial fathers (especially young)

Learning Relationship Skills in Alternative Housing Facilities

PROBLEM & SOLUTION Relationships at Renewal From Residents who are Mothers and Fathers: PROBLEM SOLUTION • Court • Revise • No • Family now prohibits home visits family involvement • Visits at Renewal unpleasant • Visits • Employers • Build can’t reach Renewal staff Court rule Reentry Program at Renewal & home – in Family Program employer-employee relationship skills

PROBLEM Relationships at Release • Resident may be released in the dark, with no money, transportation, appropriate clothing, or place to go • Family/natural support not encouraged • Officers/staff have limited role • Link to probation sometimes not made

SOLUTION Relationships at Release From All: Planned Release from “Discharge Center” (CO) • Family/Natural Support present • Accompany resident to new “home” • Home Plan part of release order • Home Plan implementation begins • Requirements for relationships to family, children • Linked to probation, education, employment, housing, treatment, family support •

PROBLEM & SOLUTION Relationships During Reintegration From All: PROBLEM SOLUTION • Don’t • Home • Don’t • Parental know what to expect at home (resident, family, children) know how to parent, don’t know children plan with agreed upon expectations, rules, roles re family and children. Requirements re contact with significant others and children, on-going updating with mentor/counselor mentor, counselor begin in Jail, continue at home

PROBLEM & SOLUTION Relationships During Reintegration From All: PROBLEM know if will be safe SOLUTION • Don’t • Home • Need • Begin • Parent • Link • Child • Coordinate more preparation for independent living “competes” with more interesting home of caregiver welfare & other systems don’t give parent chance or assistance plan=safety plan for all (including family) reintegration with step-down program before going to street or home to family centers, other family play areas before leave Jail, monitor child welfare, child support, probation, reentry — give parent a chance

Learning Relationship Skills During Probation

PROBLEM & SOLUTION Relationships During Probation From Current & Former Residents, POs, Family: PROBLEM requirement of family involvement, no training in skills of engaging family SOLUTION • No • PO • No • Recognize accommodation if probationer/family moves or personality clash linked to family or family workers and monitor requirements of home plan, easier if connect with family (PO) (La Bodega model – family + caseworker + PO supervise addicts) PO - Probationer - Family relationship as key to reentry success, better supervision if family on board (PO)

PROBLEM & SOLUTION Relationships During Probation From Current & Former Residents, POs, Family: PROBLEM POs work closely with family & natural supports, others cannot manage the time for family contact SOLUTION • Some • POs • Belief • Define – only “the criminal side of things” able to manage the multiple inputs of probationers & family/children assist peers – supervisory and training positions probation as reentry/home plan support and monitoring

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