Incarcerated fathers: A descriptive analysis

"Incarcerated fathers: A descriptive analysis" is a quantitative research paper by Lloyd Withers and Jean Folsom on a sample of incarcerated fathers in a Canadian federal correctional institution. The study looks at the pre-incarceration lifestyle of the fathers, their subsequent contact with their children during incarceration and intergenerational crime.

• Resource material for families with children:

  Jeffrey's going to jail, but he didn't do anything wrong - he's going to a correctional facility to visit his incarcerated father.

  

This storybook describes Jeffrey's experience with the metal detector, the ion scan, the drug dog, and finally being able to hug his father.

Canadian families affected by incarceration can request a free print copy by contacting the CFCN at national@cfcn-rcafd.org.

Here is a video version of Jeffrey goes to jail.

Launch in external player

RESEARCH: FAMILY-VICTIMS

When you are the victim of a crime ...
and a family member is the offender.

'Stranger crime' happens, but crime happens all too frequently within a known or former relationship. The crime is against a family member: a spouse, a child, a sibling, a parent, a grandparent, another relative or a former spouse or partner. The victim knows the offender. The offence and its effects ripple through the entire family.

The Canadian Families and Corrections Network knows from its work with families that the offender is much closer to home than anyone likes to talk about. The CFCN also takes a wider view, that even if a family member is not the victim, the family is still harmed by the criminal behavior of the offender and its consequences on the family.

The CFCN was interested in the kind of services that the Correctional Service of Canada's Victim Services could offer to family-victims. David Molzhan and Christina Guest agreed to discuss this topic. more ...

• Resource material for family-victims:
  
  

  One Step at a Time : Reshaping life following crime within the family.

Strategic Approach and Policy Document to Address the Needs of Families of Offenders: Safety - Respect and Dignity - For all

These policy recommendations on the families of adult offenders is a ground-breaking document based on an extensive public consultation process to form the policy recommendations to address quality of life needs of families affected by incarceration and reintegration.

Intake, Assessment and Early Incarceration: Coordinator Family Support
The CFCN's Coordinator Family Support project provides an orientation on restorative justice to newcomers at federal Intake and Assessment Units. The 2.5 hour orientation describes how criminal behavior and incarceration harms the family and how the newcomer can reduce the harm to their family. Suggestions are given on how to write a restorative letter home, how to maintain a positive relationship with family, and how to nurture the parent-child bond.

At the prisoner's request, the CFCN mails orientation material and information on community resources to the family, including how the family can access further information and referral through CFCN's toll-free number. The family is therefore not financially disadvantaged by reaching out for assistance.

• Resource material for families at Intake and Assessment:
  
  

  Time Together :A survival guide for families and friends visiting in Canadian federal prisons
  


• Virtual Tour
  What is it like to visit a family member or friend in a Canadian federal correctional institution? This Virtual Tour provides an overview of search and security procedures, visiting as a family, children's activity areas and the Private Family Visit (PFV) program.

During Incarceration: Visitor Resource Centres
The Visitor Resource Centre concept is based on restorative justice principles. Prison is not normal, but being a family is. The VRC volunteers assist to normalize the family relationship and parent-child bond during visiting without normalizing crime or incarceration. The VRCs meet the needs of adults and children visiting an incarcerated family member or friend by providing a safe, pleasant environment where all visitors are met with dignity and respect. The CFCN has VRC's at K.P., Collins Bay, Bath, Joyceville and Warkworth Institutions.

• Resource material for families during incarceration:
  
  

  One Day at a Time :Writings by family members, for family members.

  Telling the children about incarceration.

  Maintaining a relationship with children during incarceration.
  

Reintegration:
Family Group Decision-making for Reintegration (FGDMR) is a restorative practice that uses a family group conference to prepare a family-based reintegration plan. The family is mentored by a community mentoring team for up to one year, post release, ensuring a successful family and community reintegration plan. This service is currently offered to families at Montée St.-Francois Institution in Laval, Quebec.

• Resource material for families during reintegration:
  
  

  Time's Up: A reintegration toolkit for families assists families who do not enter into the full FGDMR process to develop their reintegration plan.

Women and their families during reintegration
Women face very different family-related challenges during their incarceration, particularly around custody and access issues with their children.

• Resource material for families during reintegration:
  
  

  A New Time is a resource toolkit developed specifically for federally sentenced women and their families as they prepare for reintegration into the family and the community.

Waiting at the Gate, the on-line self study course on the family, the correctional process and restorative justice is currently not being offered. The Waiting at the Gate coursebook for the course is available for download.

Child-friendly practices within the prison setting. Suggestions for the design and child-appropriate practices in institutional visiting areas.

Staying Involved. A guide for incarcerated fathers.

The E-newsletter of the CFCN, the Families and Corrections Journal, will keep you informed on the latest developments on the family and the corrections process. Subscription is free. Members of the CFCN receive a hard copy version with their membership.

•      Vol. 14 No. 2 (2010)


•      Vol. 14 No. 1 (2010)


•      Vol. 13 No. 1 (2009)


•      Vol. 12 No. 2 (english)    Vol. 12 No. 2 (francais)


•      Vol. 12 No. 1 (Jan / Feb 2008)


•      Vol. 11 No. 1 (Spring/Summer 07)


• For a free subscription to the electronic version of the Families and Corrections Journal, please email the CFCN at national@cfcn-rcafd.org with Subscribe in the subject line of your email.

Ion Scanner and the experience of visitors. This is a web-cast of a CKLN radio interview with Lloyd Withers, CFCN's National Coordinator, and an anonymous family member on the ion scanner and ion scan technology. The ion scanner is used to screen visitors for contraband when they visit in a federal correctional facility. Family members and visitors who have a 'positive hit' on the Ion Scanner go through a Threat Risk Assessment interview that may result in closed visits, in their visit being denied or in a physical search.

Toll free information for families affected by criminal behaviour, incarceration and family and community reintegration:

For service in English, please dial : 1-888-371-2326
For service in French, please dial : 1-877-875-1285

Please click here for the CFCN's Directory of Resources for the Families of Adult Offenders.

The CFCN currently has no employment openings.