Though many wardens and legislators remain wary, fatherhood programs run by volunteers and nonprofit groups are teaching parenting skills and family values to more and more of the nearly 700,000 fathers held in state and federal prisons. But Pennsylvania has expanded a program called Long Distance Dads throughout its prison system, and several Southern states are preparing comparable initiatives. The trend has contributed to an upbeat mood at one of the first major conferences on the topic, the North American Conference on Fathers Behind Bars and on the Streets. The three-day meeting, which ends Friday, has drawn researchers, social workers and corrections officials from across the country. Nearly 1.5 million American children have a parent in prison, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics.
Many states already have special programs for mothers behind bars.
But 93 percent of the imprisoned parents are men, and their role as fathers has traditionally been neglected by corrections officials. Over the past four years, Pennsylvania has worked with fatherhood groups to develop Long Distance Dads and now offers the 12-week program to imprisoned fathers throughout the state. With a curriculum created in part by inmates, and using inmates as group leaders, the program encourages fathers to assume responsibility for their children while in prison and after they get out. Penn State University is scheduled to complete an evaluation of the program next June, but the impact already has delighted prison staff. They report better behavior by participating inmates, and more father-child interaction in prison visiting rooms.