In an essay titled, “Children of Incarcerated Parents: Helping the Silent Victims,” Henrie Treadwell of the Morehouse School of Medicine cites the adverse impact of the incarceration of fathers on their children, particularly sons.
Dr. Treadwell’s research draws attention to this national issue and is a clarion call to action. She projects an alarming estimate that there are 1.5 million children of incarcerated parents in the United States.
Treadwell proposes solutions that focus on reducing recidivism, providing re-entry services to incarcerated men and community leaders committing to help children (and the mothers left to raise them) develop coping strategies to overcome their trauma and lead more successful lives.
More than a decade ago, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America realized that children of prisoners were seven times more likely to also end up in prison. The organization responded with the Amachi Program. Begun as a partnership with faith-based organizations, it provided a mentor to a youth whose parent was incarcerated.
With the help of local Atlanta foundations, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta (BBBSMA) initially established partnerships with local faith organizations. Over the years, the Amachi Program has grown and evolved into the Mentoring Children of Prisoners program. It has expanded its outreach to volunteers from corporations and the broader community.
Since its inception in 2003, the mentoring program has served nearly 1,800 children. Currently, more than 25 percent of the 3,000 children served annually by BBBSMA are children of prisoners.
The results have been promising:
* 99 percent of children remain completely uninvolved with juvenile justice or do not experience recidivism.
* 97.8 percent report rejection of tobacco, alcohol, drugs, skipping school, hitting and breaking school rules.
* 93 percent of school-age youngsters are promoted to the next grade.
BBBSMA radically disrupts the status quo through its mentoring program. It builds on traditional one-to-one mentoring by providing wrap-around services to children of prisoners and their families. It provides outreach initiatives, screening and pre/post-match training of volunteers, individual case management and referrals to the 2-1-1 resource database of the United Way of Atlanta.
Research shows longer and stronger mentoring matches translate into more positive youth outcomes. Mentoring Children of Prisoners provides quality mentoring relationships to children 6 to 18 years old, and requires a one-year commitment and at least eight hours of mentoring per month.
Founded in 1960, BBBSMA serves more than 3,000 children annually in 12 metro counties with a mission to provide children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported, one-to-one relationships that change their lives for the better, forever.
Janice McKenzie-Crayton is president and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta. Chris Harrison is the organization’s manager of research and evaluation.
