By Judith Jennings

Find the Keeping Families Connected: A Guide to Keeping Families Connected at www.LFJA502.org. 

High-quality jail visiting programs are urgently needed to reduce harms to children and families and humanize local criminal legal systems. Overcrowding in county jails in Kentucky and across the nation is well known. Yet, as families with incarcerated loved ones know all too well, incarceration negatively impacts parents, children, and communities, and staying connected is often challenging. 

Kentucky has the 11th highest rate of children in the U.S. with an incarcerated parent. Having an incarcerated loved one is identified as an Adverse Childhood Experience, so youth advocates have a key role to play in supporting visiting and communications in local jails. AND, as the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University explains, asset-based communications for, with, and about children and their incarcerated loved ones are essential in all community level and statewide discussions. 

Harvard’s Center on the Developing Child has also identifies Three Principles for Improving Health Outcomes for Children and Families that can inform communities and jails in creating and sustaining high quality visiting and communications programs:

  1. Support responsive relationships 
  2. Strengthen core skills
  3. Reduce sources of stress

County jails are local jurisdictions, so local people can:

  • assess and take action to improve jail visits, communications, and 
  • create local policies that nurture family and children’s health.

For example, communities can start by assessing the family-connecting programs their county jail provides now. Do families have access to in-person visits, free or low-cost phone or video calls, emails and letters or cards? If not, what are the barriers and what will it take to build equal access for all children?.

Keeping Families Connected: A Guide to Jail Visiting in Kentucky is by and for community members, jail staff, and local leaders committed to meaningful communications and visiting with families and their incarcerated loved ones. 

As Shelton McElroy, a Licensed Professional Counselor Associate and a family advocate with direct experience says, “When families stay connected while experiencing the difficult disruption of incarceration, they have hope. Hope fuels purpose which contributes to effective success upon release.”

Louisville Family Justice Advocates invites you to check out this innovative new Guide. Email us at familyjusticeadvocates@gmail.com if you have questions, and let us know if you would like to be part of an informal Jail Visiting Network to share information and strategies about keeping all families connected.