Uniting Children With Incarcerated Parents

Support for foster and systems-impacted youth

County of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a countywide benefit)

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

On average, over 60% of mothers and fathers are sentenced to prisons more than 100 miles away from their families, and in rural locations that require a car to access. This makes it difficult or impossible for many low-income children and family members to visit to maintain contact or to begin a healing process while a parent is incarcerated.

Distance is just one barrier. A critical program component is helping children and guardians to gain the required security clearance. The complexity of this paperwork and the legal language it entails keeps many families from visiting, especially when English is not the family’s native language.

Finally, all in-person prison visits in California must be initiated by the incarcerated person for their own security. CRJW staff conduct in-prison outreach and help incarcerated parents to enroll in the program so that they can see their children.

Get On The Bus makes it possible for low-income children to visit in person with their incarcerated parents. The visits enabled by participation in this program are unique; they are longer than standard permitted visits, and children and parents are allowed to participate in more bonding activities. Unlike during typical prison visits, incarcerated parents are allowed to move about freely. This means they can touch and hug their children as much as they want, they can play interactive games together, and parents can serve lunch to their children. Get On The Bus visits provide incarcerated parents the rare opportunity to parent their children. Photographs are taken with copies given to the parents (when permitted) and to the children, who receive the photo with a teddy bear “gift” from their parent. Art therapy is also provided in the prisons that allow it to help with communication and expressing feelings.

We provide free transportation regardless of the distance to the prison. Free meals and snacks are served, with overnight accommodations are provided for trips that cannot be completed in one day. For months before visits can take place, our staff works with prison officials to secure visit dates. The work to educate prison staff about the program and to secure visit dates is critical due to ongoing staff turnover at California prisons. And as noted above, CRJW works with families to enroll parents and to help visitors gain security clearance.

Success means that during the grant period, CRJW will:

1. Provide visits to as least across 14 state prisons.
2. Serve a projected 600 unduplicated program participants, with the majority being LA County residents.
3. Assist approximately 600 participants with the completion of required clearance paperwork and link them to other community services and resources.
4. Train approximately 100 Program Volunteers to assist with program delivery.
5. Maintain or recreate relationships with approximately 36 - 45 CDCR staff across prisons to ensure awareness of GOTB and to reinstate or continue program delivery across prisons.
6. Continue outreach and relationship building with prisons that do not currently partner with CRJW.
7. Continue evolving program offerings that increase family reconnection. Recent examples include the incorporation of art activities/art therapy during visits and increasing families’ access to mental health professionals to help children navigate their emotions.