Between The Lines

Summary

The primary goal of Between the Lines is to support family unity and bonding during times of separation due to either incarceration or deployment. We work with local prisons and National Guard.

What is the issue, problem, or challenge?

Research indicates that bonding in early childhood is fundamental to coping skills later in life and can largely determine a child’s ability to form healthy relationships as an adult. The children of inmates have few opportunities to receive the necessary contact with an incarcerated parent to form or maintain the necessary bonds. Prisoners who remain engaged in the lives of their children have lower recidivism rates and their children are therefore less likely to serve prison time as adults.

How will this project solve this problem?

We partner with Santiam (all men’s) Correctional Facility and Coffee Creek (all women’s) Correctional Facility as well as the National Guard. JLPortland volunteers arrive with all the equipment and books and record the parent reading aloud.

Potential Long Term Impact

During 2008-2009, 237 children (170 children of inmates, 67 children of deployed soldiers) received custom CD’s of their parent reading aloud to them with a brand new copy of the corresponding book.

Project Message

Check out this video of an inmate reading to her children: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/video/video.php?v=370272858188&ref=mf
- Inmate, One Inmate Reading to Her Son From Prison

Additional Documentation

This project has provided additional documentation in a Microsoft Word file (projdoc.doc).

Resources

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