NACIP NEWSLETTER VOL.

HOLIDAY 2011

NEWS
NACIP PRIORITIES
Programs Research Training Advocacy

To prevent the cycle of intergenerational crime through a comprehensive network of programs, resources, research, and advocacy.

Joyous Holidays from Paulette, Sara, Chelsea, and the Miami Initiative
Silent Vic*ms of Crime 5 Circles of Support Model:
It is our belief that the most successful and comprehensive way to aid and support children of incarcerated parents, is by following the 5 circles of support system. Developed by PHP and rened by numerous interns and volunteers over a 15 year span, the model looks to address areas associated with protecAng, supporAng, and fostering the success and safety of children and families of incarcerated parents through the power of CollaboraAon. 5 CIRCLES MODEL CREATES COLLABORATION AMONGST INDIVIDUALS AND AGENCIES THAT CAN PROVIDE THE NECESSARY SERVICES TO ALL THE GROUPS:
3 Caregivers 4 Community 1. Youth Programs - fosters youth empowerment by providing a variety of services ranging from Mental Health, Therapy, Academic Training, AGer-School AcAviAes and Camps, Health and NutriAon, Sports, Mentoring, Youth Councils, Leadership Training, Diverse Cultural Acceptance, Anger Management, Financial and Career Training, as well as Higher EducaAon Experience and Encouragement. 2. Incarcerated Parents Programs - assists parents during and following incarceraAon by providing services such as AddicAon Control, ParenAng Classes, Morale Building, Conict ResoluAon, PosiAve Family InteracAon, EducaAon, Re-Entry PreparaAon and Follow-Up, Community Involvement, Lifestyle Changes and Job Search. 3. Caregivers Programs provides services to parental and non-parental caregivers. They will be provided Therapy as needed, ParenAng Classes, Lifestyle Changes, Conict ResoluAon, EducaAon, Assistance with Entering the Job Market, and TransiAon. 4. Community Services - provides support, transportaAon, and Jobs through programs and services directed at enhancing the lives of the individuals involved in raising these children: Job and Academic Training, IntervenAon, Drug and Alcohol PrevenAon and treatment, Post- Release Care, Family OrientaAon on community resources, Seminars and Training to agencies and collaborators. 5. Mentoring and Peer Support programs and services aimed at building relaAonships and expanding exposure through PosiAve Role Modeling, aZending EducaAonal Events/ AcAviAes, Tutoring, providing EmoAonal Support, Exposure to Diverse Cultures, and IntroducAon to College and Technical Schools (College Bound mentality).

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

5 Circles of Support Model No Longer silent 1 2

National Institute on Drug Abuse Statistics 3 The Community is Working to Provide Support Services 3 Protecting Children of Incarcerated Parents Internationally Motherhood Initiative (MHI) Statistics

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What Is The Motherhood Initiative (MHI)? 5 Literacy, the Key to Success Ecological Planet Foundation 6

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2 Parents

Reverend Doctor Romando James: P.R.I.D.E. 8

Circles of Support

5 Mentoring

1 Youth

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No Longer Silent
My name is Chelsea Segal and I am a child of a prisoner. But, I am not a silent one. Due to my strong support systems and eorts to a=ain higher educa>on, I no longer have to be a them, by being silent. I am becoming a me by geCng an educa>on and using the limitless possibili>es available through knowledge. When I was nine years old my father was arrested for a=empted murder and kidnapping. I was in 4th grade and did not understand everything going on. I thought for years he was going to just show back up into my life. But he did not. Our rela>onship became phone calls, le=ers and occasional visits. To this day, I s>ll have the blue shoebox of le=ers under my bed that he wrote during the seven years he was incarcerated. My dad in prison became part of my life; it was not easy to get used to at rst but as the years went by it became normal. The ques>ons of what does your dad do? to, how is your dad doing, anything new? was something my brothers and I had to deal with. Newspaper ar>cles would come out and again it was fresh in the minds of everyone in my community. On June 1, 2008, my dad was released from prison. This was the start of a new period in my life. I was excited to have my father back in my life, and I was preparing to go to college. It was the start of a path to my future success. Throughout the >me my father was in prison I learned a lot about the criminal jus>ce system. I wanted to learn more and do more for the system and children who had been aected by it. This desire lead me to where I am now. Currently, I am a twenty-year- old Junior at the University of Michigan. I belong to the Kappa
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Alpha Theta sorority and am an ac>ve member of the Prisoners Crea>ve Arts Project (PCAP). Through PCAP, I worked in a juvenile facility in Michigan to help youth improve their wri>ng skills and give them the mo>va>on that they CAN go to college. This past July, I interned at a proba>on oce and in August I volunteered at a non-prot for children of incarcerated parents called Silent Vic>ms of Crime (SVC). Li=le did I know what SVC was going to turn into for me. My internship at SVC gave me the impetus to no longer be silent about my past. The rst day I was told about a pe>>on to protect children of incarcerated parents. Currently, there is nothing in eect to protect children when their caregiver is arrested. We are o`en placed in an unsafe environment with inadequate supervision. What happens to these youths? Who is there to answer ques>ons and give them support? These are all ques>ons and fears that need to be addressed. Yet, there is li=le that addresses the mul>ple needs of youth whose parents are incarcerated. Since that rst day at SVC, my goal has been to get this pe>>on signed. The pe>>on supports crea>ng a law to protect children of incarcerated parents and visit their parents easier. Through the assistance of a child advocate, the child will have the resource to ask ques>ons and have informa>on so they are not le` in the dark and afraid of what their future holds. With the help of this legisla>on, these children will be safe and protected and able to communicate. The details of the proposi>on consist of At the >me of intake, the inmate acknowledges having children and states his or her wish to work with a family advocate. The child is visited in a >mely fashion. The child gets informa>on of the process and what they should expect

The child receives therapy to acknowledge their own feelings and response to the event. The inmate/parent has input and a role in the needs of the child We are ac>ng to bring change to the lives of these kids who need more support and mo>va>on to be healthy and successful. It is the mo>va>on to live their OWN lives and not make unhealthy life choices or follow in the steps of their incarcerated parent. Not long a`er I began interning with SVC and making the pe>>on a major project of mine, my dad was arrested again. This >me it just spun my world. I could not believe I would have to go through this process again. I challenge each of you to look into what happens to children when their parents are incarcerated. My mom had a job and was able to support us when my dad was arrested the rst >me. This second >me, my dad is remarried and has a two year old son and a baby girl on the way. What happens to my step- mom? Please, please, please sign our pe>>on so that my step-brother, future step-sister, my brothers, myself, and all other children of incarcerated parents can have the support and the resources to overcome having a parent who is incarcerated. Read and sign this pe>>on at:

www.change.org/peAAons/ protect-children-of-incarcerated- parents

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1 Youth

3 Caregiver s

-Story provided by Chelsea Segal, Silent VicAms of Crime Intern

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The number of adults involved in the criminal jus6ce system has soared from about 1.8 million in 1980 to 7.2 million

STATISTICS:
According To The National Institute On Drug Abuse (NIDA)

in 2009. The connec6on between drug abuse and crime is well known - one-half to two-thirds of inmates in jails and State and Federal prisons meet standard diagnos6c criteria (DSM-IV) for alcohol/drug dependence or abuse. Yet only 7% to 17% of these prisoners receive treatment in jail or prison, so that most of the over 650,000 inmates released back into the community each year have not received needed treatment services. LeS untreated, drug-abusing oenders can relapse to drug use and return to criminal behavior. This jeopardizes public health and public safety, leads to re-arrest and re-incarcera6on, and further taxes an already over-burdened criminal jus6ce system.
hZp://www.drugabuse.gov/Ab/drugs_crime.html

The Community is Working to Provide Support Services

Our na>on is full of great organiza>ons and partners working together to improve the lives and condi>ons of all they come in contact with. One organiza>on in par>cular working to assist the na>on in its struggle with incarcera>on and addic>on problems is Compassion In Ac>on Ministries (CIA), Inc. According to their web site, CIAs goal is to assist persons needing recovery from addic>ons in their pursuit for freedom and a life of independence and self-suciency. Providing services and tools to achieve and maintain their new lifestyle, that will enable them to live a produc>ve and func>onal life at home, work and in the community (h=p:// www.ciaministries.com/ aboutus.php). CIAs eorts in providing support and services to those with in need, began in June of 2004 as a Church Ministry. In July 2006 CIA became
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incorporated as a not-for- prot organiza>on in the State of Florida. Services like individual counseling; marriage counseling for couples recovering; Life Skills classes, and a 12-Step Program were added. In March 2008 they received their 501c (3), tax - exempt status. Work with prisoners and their families began in February 2009 when they added a re-entry program. This program consists of holding groups with inmates at 2 local Jails and a Half Way House for Federal Prisoners in Miami Dade. This work also involves par>cipa>on in Transi>onal Fairs encouraging those being released from Jail or Prison to con>nue a recovery support services program upon their release to prevent relapse. CIA encourages the individuals family to enroll in the program as well. This is not only a service and support to the incarcerated individual, but also one for their children and their family. CIA acknowledges the importance of integrated recovery including family and community involvement. In September 2009 CIA

implemented other services for those recovering and for those being released from jail or prison, that want to con>nue a drug free, produc>ve lifestyle. These services include but are not limited to: Resume wri>ng, Basic Computer Skills, Paren>ng Skills, Stress Management Training, E>que=e, and Nutri>onal and Health Orienta>on. Consistent with a holis>c approach to support and services, CIA is an example of an integral part of the process in preven>ng the cycle of intergenera>onal crime through networks of programs, resources, research, and advocacy. For further informa>on on Compassion In Ac>on Ministries, Inc. please visit www.ciaministries.com
2 Parents 4 Commu nity

-InformaAon provided by CIA director Maria Elena Anderson, and organizaAonal markeAng materials. Holiday 2011 3

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HOLIDAY 2011

ProtecJng Children of Incarcerated Parents InternaJonally

The European Network for Children of Imprisoned Parents (EUROCHIPS) is a European-wide ini>a>ve on behalf of children with an imprisoned parent. With our network of European partners, ac>ve within prison-related childs- rights and child-welfare elds, we seek to boost awareness and achieve new ways of thinking, ac>ng and interac>ng on issues concerning this topic. We believe children must be able to maintain a link with both parents if separated from one or both (a right s>pulated in the 1989 United Na>ons Conven>on on the Rights of the Child and the 2000 Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union). The condi>on of children with imprisoned parents is a public health issue. Dicul>es o`en associated with depriva>on of contact with a father and a mother, can compromise a childs future rela>onships and ability to parent responsibly as adults. In order to break the repe>>ve cycle of behavior in these children as adults, our work focuses on the condi>on of these children in todays European society. As such, we have several objec>ves, projects, and research on the behalf of rights to family life. One of our primary goals is to establish watchdog organiza>ons in each of our Member States. The func>on of these organiza>ons is to obtain more accurate informa>on and sta>s>cs on the condi>on of children with incarcerated parents. These groups will also foster
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interagency collabora>on among public and private agencies in the various sectors involved in suppor>ng and making decisions about children and their imprisoned parents. One of our main projects is the Children of Prisoners, Interven>ons and Mi>ga>ons to Strengthen Mental Health (COPING) project. The study covers four countries (UK, Germany, Sweden, and Romania) and the ndings are expected to have European-wide and interna>onal applica>on. Current support for children who par>cipate in prison visits, for example, is extremely variable and mainly provided through non-governmental organiza>ons. Support for imprisoned parents is equally inconsistent. We aim to use our ndings to inuence European-wide prison reform ini>a>ves as well as raise awareness. The project is currently in its second year, and will con>nue through December 2012. Last spring we held our annual European Prisoners Children Campaign Week. The kick-o event featured an exhibit of artwork created by children as well as the release of a documentary on their status. The evening proceeded with a presenta>on of a report we conducted with our partners at The

Danish Ins>tute of Human Rights. En>tled Children with Imprisoned Parents: A European Research Project; the report contains case studies, quota>ons from professionals and children, artwork, and recommenda>ons for reform. A fully downloadable version of the report is available on our website free of charge (h=p:// www.eurochips.org/). At EUROCHIPS we work for the rights of these children. Our partners are in various countries and each deal with a unique set of circumstances regarding legal and penal codes. Despite dierences in culture and geography, we all speak for the rights of children with imprisoned parents. We con>nue to advocate on their behalf and spread awareness through research projects, le=ers to members of European parliament, campaigns, social media networking, and word of mouth. We ask that others help us help them. For further informa>on regarding our work please visit us on our website, blog, twi=er, or FB page. If you are interested in contac>ng us directly, please feel free to do so at contact@eurochips.org. Website: h=p://www.eurochips.org/ Blog:h=p:// eurochips.wordpress.com/ Twi=er: h=p://twi=er.com/#!/ EUROCHIPS
3 4 Caregiver Communi s ty 5 Mentorin g

2 Parents

1 Youth

- InformaAon provided by Ryan Christen, Project Assistant, EUROCHIPS Holiday 2011 4

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HOLIDAY 2011

MOTHERHOOD INITIATIVE (MHI):

STATISTICS
Approximately 65,000 inmates in 2008 were mothers to minor children, and this percentage represents a 131 percent increase since 1991. 60% of mothers report living with their children prior to their incarceration

What is the Motherhood IniJaJve (MHI)?

The MHI is a series of studies, employing a mul>- method approach (focus groups and ques>onnaires) designed to understand the challenges that incarcerated mothers, their children, and caregivers face upon the mothers re-entry into the family. We decided to focus our work on mothers because approximately 65,000 inmates in 2008 were mothers to minor children, and this percentage represents a 131 percent increase since 1991. Sixty percent of these mothers report living with their children prior to their incarcera>on and many will encounter challenges that may impact their ability to parent upon re-entry. For the children, and their caregivers the mothers re-entry represents a major disrup>on in their lives, and rebuilding the rela>onship presents a myriad of challenges for them. Phase I of MHI was designed to explore how the- entering mother navigates her rela>onship with her children and the caregivers of her children; and to understand ways in which they maintain healthy and nontoxic rela>onship with others. Phase I of the MHI has been completed and the results suggest that re-entering mothers express anxiety about their paren>ng role, and report experiencing high levels of paren>ng stress. The stress is in part due to their concerns about repairing and/ or establishing rela>onships with their children.

Phases 2 of MHI will focus on the children and their percep>ons of maternal re-entry, while Phase 3 will consider caregivers percep>ons of maternal reentry. Phases 2 and 3 of the MHI are slated to begin Spring 2012. Through the research and knowledge gained from MHI, the ul>mate goal is to develop programs for mothers (and their families) who are re-entering, and work on their paren>ng and rela>onship challenges.

2 Parents

4 Communi ty

-The Motherhood IniAaAve (MHI)

Department of Psychology Miami University Oxford, OH Project Director: YveZe R. Harris, PhD Co-Project Director: Vanessa A. Harris, BA

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Literacy, the Key to Success

Project L.E.A.D., Literacy for Every Adult in Dade, is an Outreach Service of the Miami Dade Public Library, hZp://library/services/outreach/ lead.asp. Volunteer Tutors are trained by Project L.E.A.D. sta to work one- on-one with adults that have asked for help with their reading and wriAng skills. The program is free and parAcipaAon is condenAal. The mission of Project L.E.A.D. is to reduce funcAonal illiteracy among English speaking adults in Miami-Dade County. Illiteracy, in the strictest sense, means the inability to read or write simple sentences in any language. A funcAonally illiterate person may be able to read some words and possibly write simple sentences with a limited vocabulary but cannot read or write well enough to deal with the everyday requirements of life. Some of the skills they lack include: being able to ll out forms, such as employment applicaAons; being able to pass a drivers license exam; reading to their child or helping them with homework. When someone contacts Project L.E.A.D., they ask for help reading and wriAng. But, what they really are asking for, is the chance to change their life. The program uses Laubach Way to Reading, a phonics based system designed for adults who are illiterate or funcAonally illiterate. This program addresses the individual needs or
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goals of each student through supplemental resources and creaAve lesson planning. The priority is always the needs of the student. Project L.E.A.D. recently began a partnership with Metro West, a Miami-Dade County correcAonal facility. The Program Manager, Abigail McMillan was invited to meet with the Metro West sta to discuss how to best serve inmates that expressed an interest in receiving help to improve their reading and wriAng. Since each inmate diers in their ability to read and write, Ms. McMillan strongly recommended a one-on-one approach. Not knowing what the response would be, Ms. McMillan oered to see if any of the current Project L.E.A.D. Volunteer Tutors would be willing to come into the prison to provide tutoring. Twenty-two Volunteer Tutors were willing to go into the correcAonal facility and work one-on-one with an inmate. Although it is sAll in the beginning stages, this partnership has the potenAal to become a catalyst for partnerships between other literacy programs. Ms. McMillan is a member of the Miami Dade Reentry Task Force that works to provide the tools necessary for ex-oenders to succeed when they are released back into the community, www.miamidadereentry.org. One way that the task force reaches out to inmates is through resource fairs held in area correcAonal faciliAes. Inmates, who are close to their release date, have the opportunity to meet and talk with task force members, who oer housing, educaAon, health, employment and other assistance to help

them with a successful transiAon back into the community. Although Ms. McMillan is the Program Manager for Project L.E.A.D., she represents the Library when she parAcipates in a resource fair. If the inmate has children or will be the main caregiver of a child, she provides Reading Ready, hZp://library/ readingReady/index.asp, materials that focus on the six early literacy skills that children need to know before they learn to read and write. The suggested acAviAes are for parents to use as they interact with their child. AcAviAes include reading nursery rhymes or singing. This develops phonological awareness (the ability to hear sounds). The Reading Ready resources have been very well received by both male and female inmates. Like all parents, they want their child to succeed in school and beyond. This is why collaboraAon with organizaAons that support children with incarcerated parents, and the parents themselves, is important. Silent VicAms of Crime (SVC) is doing it, as are others throughout the world. It all adds up for the parent who dreams of a beZer life for their child, for the children who dream of a life with the parent who is incarcerated, and for society that becomes stronger through those that care enough to hold out their hand to someone in need.
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-Information supplied by Abigail McMillan, Program Manager with Project L.E.A.D. (Literacy for Every Adult in Dade), Miami Dade Public Library System, www.mdpls.org

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Ecological Planet Foundation

1 Youth 4 Communi ty

Circle 1 and 4

Learning From Recycled Material

There are endless ways to integrate the experiences of youth with their parents, while at the same Ame building a childs skill set and exposure to posiAve development experiences. The work that is being done at Ecological Planet FoundaAon is one such example. Ecological Planet FoundaAon (EPF) was founded with the purpose of training all those who seek to increase the worlds original nature. The aim is to bring workshops to communiAes in need and provide them the opportuniAes create a micro enterprise from recycling. EPFs workshops work with individuals to support the process of reintegraAng recycled materials back into the compeAAve marketplace. REDUCE, REUSE and RECYCLE, is the moto that EPF follows. The intenAon of EPF is to invite anyone with skills and talents to transform waste into art. The reality is, that much of what we consider waste can actually be recycled into useful and funcAonal things. It is simply having the mind to transform wasted authenAc materials, that are frequently part of our daily lives, into innovaAve creaAons. A can of soda, a boZle of glass or plasAc, these are arAcles constantly discarded by all of us,
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but each of which can be reused. Reuse oers a second opportunity for materials to fulll other funcAons adding to the coexistence of humans and nature through recycling. EPF believes it is important to generate an awareness of recycling. Recycling is a simple gesture that saves considerable amount of materials, energy and greenhouse gas emissions. The quesAon then became, what is an innovaAve way to integrate recycling into the minds and the hearts of people on earth. This was the dream of EPFs founder Klau Gasperini. Her passion and creaAvity has turned this dream into reality. Having studied architecture, handicraG, industrial design, fashion and decoraAon design, Klau possessed great arAsAc skill, but wanted to expand it. From an early age she was concerned about the earth and mans interacAon with the environment. She wanted to integrate these two skills and concerns into one. Always having a desire to collaborate and parAcipate in producAve acAviAes she undertook this project focused on The Green Concept in collaboraAon with art. Klaus passion manifest into programs and a business out of creaAng jewelry and clothing out of recycled materials. Yet her passion did not stop there. Klaus warrior spirit and

rebel aitude oGen leads her to be more in touch with youth. Recognizing the importance that youth hold for the future, youth in parAcular are invited to be part of the acAviAes related to recycling and design. This adds to Klaus goal of establishing a foundaAon that helps educate on the topic of environmental conservaAon. These eorts with youth have thus generated the "New Earth" program. The New Earth programs create fun, innovaAve and wiZy collecAons of clothing and jewelry using waste and industrial parts. It is an educaAonal way to reduce, reuse, and recycle with youth who might otherwise not have such knowledge, experience, or skill. It also provided children with the experience of creaAng an actual product, which they oGen use in a fashion show event or for display. There is no limit to the value and the experience that can come from partaking in New Earth project creaAons. It is Klaus hope that performance in New Earth projects can become a part of all youths experiences.
InformaAon provided by Klau GasperiniIndustrial, Founder and Designer of Ecological Planet FoundaAon

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P.R.I.D.E.
P - Purpose R - Respect I - Integrity D - Determination E - Enthusiasm (Enthuse the Spirit of God)

Reverend Doctor Romando James

I am the Founder and President of OperaAon P.R.I.D.E. with Common Sense. This organizaAon was created in order to help children with bleak futures nd hope to become outstanding adults of integrity and valor. This was specically designed for young men that need extra guidance. The events that are sponsored through my program help these young men by teaching them their history and taking them through their rites of passage into manhood. This program has been helpful to many young people over the years. AGer school programs and summer camps for minority children are just some of the

programs that have been sponsored. I have been given the privilege of receiving many awards for my involvement in the community. This includes the Jeerson Award, Man of the year from a local church (Mt. Sinai), and worldwide recogniAon including an opportunity to speak at the Olympics held in China. My passions have been used as the basis of mulAple documentaries, lms, and non-cAons. Yet, one of the proudest moments of my life was when I was informed that next year I will be incorporated into a CNN presentaAon. This is an opportunity to increase awareness of youth who need extra guidance and promote the support my involvement

provides. I am honored to be seen as a candidate for this presentaAon. I acknowledge that I am part of a much larger system working toward the improvement of the lives of at-risk youth. If I have touched one life then my living is not in vain.

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1 Youth

-InformaAon provided by Reverand Doctor Romando James, Founder and President of OperaAon P.R.I.D.E. with Common Sense

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NEWS
To prevent the cycle of intergenerational crime through a comprehensive network of programs, resources, research, and advocacy.

TO CONTRIBUTE STORIES OR INFORMATION, CONTACT:

NEWSLETTER STAFF: Sara Camacho (305) 482- 3339 (Ofce) sara@silentvictimsofcrime.org Paulette Pfeiffer (305) 482-3339 (Ofce) Paulette@SilentVictimsOfCrime.org

NACIP Newsletter www.npjs.org/nacip 2961 SW 19th Terrace Miami, FL 33145- 1933 Phone: (305) 482- 3339 Fax: (305) 443-7257 E-Mail: sara@silentvictimsofcrime.org

To prevent the cycle of intergenerational crime through a comprehensive network of resources, research, and advocacy.

National Association for Children of Incarcerated Parents

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION
First Name:______________________ Last Name: ______________________ Title:____________________________________________________________ Agency:__________________________________________________________ Address:_________________________________________________________ City:____________________________ State:_______ Zip Code: ____________ Phone: _________________________ Fax:_____________________________ Email:___________________________________________________________
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