AESOP, Adaptive exchange for systemically oppressed people.

Give more. Get more.

JAMIE BALBUENA Parsons SDS Design + Management Senior Thesis 2010 Rabinovitz + Fryman

JAMIE BALBUENA Parsons SDS D+M Senior Thesis SPRING 2010

ABSTRACT The United States is the biggest jailer in the world.

While there are no indications that mass incarceration has made this country safer, there is evidence that children of inmates experience unique traumas and cumulative disadvantages that may contribute to intergenerational crime and incarceration. AESOP will serve this voiceless population by telling its unheard story to policy makers and striving to break the cycle of mass incarceration.

CONTENTS 1 2 6 8 10 14 16 26 36 38 40

Topic Selection Topic Exploration Defining the Problem Understanding the Problem Stakeholders Family Profile Storyboard Landscape Scan Expanded Reasearch Opportunities Intervention

XX XX

JAMIE BALBUENA Parsons SDS D+M Senior Thesis SPRING 2010

TOPIC

Families separated by incarceration.

01

TOPIC EXPLORATION

1 in 143 American adults are in prison.

The United States has the most incarcerated population in the world, and also the highest rate at which it incarcerates6.

There were 1,610,446 inmates at midyear 20082.

Global prison population per 100,000 people

JAMIE BALBUENA Parsons SDS D+M Senior Thesis SPRING 2010

TOPIC EXPLORATION

Mass incarceration has had little affect on overall crime.

Costing $44 billion annually nationwide14,“punishment, in itself, has been ineffective in preventing criminal behavior and recidivism”15.

02 03

TOPIC EXPLORATION

Over 1.7 million children have a parent in prison.

2.3% of the under-18 population has a parent in prison5.

Children of inmates

Total U.S. Minor Population

JAMIE BALBUENA Parsons SDS D+M Senior Thesis SPRING 2010

TOPIC EXPLORATION

Children of inmates are six times more likely than their peers to become incarcerated.

Due to the unique trauma of mourning the loss of a parent who’s still alive, combined with a number of other risk factors (poverty, single parent, etc.), children of inmates are at an increased risk of social, emotional, educational, and behavioral problems13.

04 05

DEFINING THE PROBLEM

The United States has the largest incarceration rate in the Western world, with over 1.6 million inmates in federal and state prisons2. More than 800,000 inmates are parents of over 1.7 million children under the age of 185. Incarceration has adverse affects on children and their caregivers, which include financial strain and severe social stigma. Children of inmates are more likely to get lower grades in school, feel alienated from others, and participate in delinquency8.

“Children with parents in prison are 5–6 times more at-risk to become involved in the criminal justice system”8.

Research has determined that steady contact between inmates and family is constructive for both the inmate and the child1. The stipulations of such contact, however, often make it difficult to sustain family relationships15. Inmate phone calls are limited and monitored. Letter writing, while greatly appreciated by inmates, is often difficult for children to commit to1. Furthermore, most prisoners are between 100 and 500 miles from their families. If a child is able to visit his or her parent, the trip is costly and the visiting rooms are “sterile and uncomfortable”10.

While the Department of Justice strives to punish criminals with politically-motivated “hard on crime” policies3, it makes no effort to help the families affected by increasingly harsh sentences. No government agency is responsible for the children of inmates, and no efforts are even made to identify members of this large, at-risk population11. Heavy spending goes toward punishing, rather than rehabilitating prisoners, for longer periods of time, which has actually been ineffective at preventing criminal behavior15.

JAMIE BALBUENA Parsons SDS D+M Senior Thesis SPRING 2010

DEFINING THE PROBLEM

Children of inmates need an intervention to break the cycle of incarceration, but they are understudied and underserved.

06 07

UNDERSTANDING THE PROBLEM

“The national trend to use incarceration to punish even minor offenses guarantees that children will continue to be adversely affected by policies enacted with no consideration of the harm done to family systems.�

Diane Reed. Social Justice 24, no 3.

Interrelated contributors11: Intensification of politically motivated "get tough on crime" rhetoric War on Drugs Public discourse about crime designed to instill fear Ratings-driven media preoccupation with policing and arrests Enactment of increasingly harsh sentencing laws (mandatory minimums, three strikes)

JAMIE BALBUENA Parsons SDS D+M Senior Thesis SPRING 2010

UNDERSTANDING THE PROBLEM

08 09

UNDERSTANDING THE STAKEHOLDERS

1.6 million inmates: 744,200 are fathers 65,600 are mothers

When a parent is incarcerated he or she is taken from her family and children. The children are placed in the care of an alternate caregiver. Some alternative care options are more disruptive than others.

JAMIE BALBUENA Parsons SDS D+M Senior Thesis SPRING 2010

UNDERSTANDING THE STAKEHOLDERS

Caregivers: When fathers go to prison, children often stay with5:

When mothers go to prison, children often stay with5:

Other Parent Grandparent Other Relatives

“The caregivers of minor children with incarcerated fathers tend to be the child’s other parent (the child’s mother), whereas caregivers of minor children with incarcerated mothers tend to be the child’s grandparents.”4 Because most ncarcerated mothers were single parents, children of incarcerated mothers are less likely to go with their fathers and are usually put with grandparents or other relatives. These mothers were also usually the sole economic provider, and in most cases their children “continue to experience similar or greater economic impoverishment” once their mothers are gone8.

Fatigue is most commonly reported by grandparents raising their incarcerated children’s children. Having to become the primary caregiver of these children causes more physical, mental, and economic stress15. Familial caregivers often “live on fixed incomes or marginal employment.”15 It’s been observed that the quality of parenting may diminish as stress levels increase4.

Foster Care Friends, Others

10 11

UNDERSTANDING THE STAKEHOLDERS

Children of inmates Children of incarcerated parents are more likely to 11: Be traumatized by separation and shame of having a parent in prison.

Suffer from a negative self-image, fear, anxiety, anger, resentment, and sadness.

Perform poorly in, and/or drop out of school.

Abuse substances and engage in antisocial or delinquent behaviors.

Exhibit levels of truancy, physical aggression, and disruptive behavior.

Become incarcerated as jueveniles or adults.

JAMIE BALBUENA Parsons SDS D+M Senior Thesis SPRING 2010

UNDERSTANDING THE STAKEHOLDERS

Risk factors CONTEXTUAL11

INCARCERATION-RELATED11

MATERNAL INCARCERATION11

Poverty

Separation from parental care

Single parenthood

Parent who has been incarcerated multiple times

Children likely to have insecure attachment represenations of their mothers

Mother’s lack of education Exposure to criminal activity Being in a large family

Female inmates are more likely to have mental illness & abuse drugs

Siblings being separated Being an ethnic minority Having a parent with a mental illness

Placement in non-familial care

The children are less likely to go the father

Having both parents incarcerated

Greater chance of non-familial care and sibling separation

Substance abuse Having relatives incarcerated Sexual or physical abuse Having caregivers or parents who are reluctant to provide information to authorities Black children are 7.5 times more likely than white children to have a parent in prison.

Maternal imprisonment may pose a greater risk for kids.

Hispanic children are 2.5 times more likely.

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UNDERSTANDING THE COMMUNITY

Family Profile

I interviewed an incarcerated mother named Cecilia. She’s 33 years old and serving a 3.5 year sentence in a minimum security state prison (Central Virginia Correctional Unit #13) in Chesterfield, VA. She was recently admitted into a work relase program in Hopewell, VA, which allows her to leave the grounds every day to go to work and school.

Cecilia has two children, an 11 year old daughter, Mia, and an 8 year old son, Jordan. When their mother was first imprisoned they moved in with their aunt, Carla, but have since moved in with their grandmother. They live in Woodbridge, VA, about 2.5 hours away from their mother. Their father assumed no caregiving role prior to or since Cecilia’s incarceration.

JAMIE BALBUENA Parsons SDS D+M Senior Thesis SPRING 2010

UNDERSTANDING THE COMMUNITY

Family Profile

ON VISITING “At C.V.C.U. #13, it was two sets of chairs facing each other with a small table in between. My mom or sister would visit (with the kids) once or twice a month. Most of our visits consisted of playing games, talking, and eating. Fortunately, the visiting hours were unlimited, so they stayed for about 5-6 hours on a Saturday or Sunday.

In the beginning we always had a hard time saying our goodbyes; the kids hated saying goodbye knowing they had to leave me behind.

Just hugging and kissing made my day, month, year, etc. Jordan was always the last to leave and hug me. At first, Mia didn’t like seeing me there, seeing me stuck in my chair, not being able to move, having to raise my hand for permission to move. They

didn’t understand some of the rules, like that I couldn’t touch money. There were about 30 other families, about 3 feet apart in a crowded room, and we always felt like we were being watched.

There we emotional visits and it was hard because there were so many people around.

There were vending machines and a closet full of games, puzzles and coloring books, but we only had a small table to play on. There was no kids corner, and it was kind of dirty. We were also able to buy picture tickets and take pictures. I know my sister had a hard time paying for gas when the economy got bad, but she tried her best to bring my kids to see me. Now, on work release, I can only get 15 minute visits, so they don’t visit me. I’m getting out soon, though.”

ON PHONE CALLS “I’m now on work release so I have a cell phone and call my kids every morning and night. At C.V.C.V. #13, I could only call home once every 2 weeks because it was so expensive ($15 for 20 minutes). It was a rip off.

I have more phone freedom now that I’m on work release, but see my kids way less.”

ON BEHAVIORAL CHANGE “I’ve seen a rapid and drastic change in my daughter since 2007. Unfortunately, she felt like she had to instantly fill that “motherly” void for her younger brother. She was 8 years old at the time and she cleaned up after him, cooked him food, pick him up from the bus stop, and even cut his food on his plate (since he’s been told not to use a knife). She definitely fit the picture of a ‘big sister’. I’m really proud of her though because even through this traumatic time of her life she still kept her grades up and stayed on the A & B Honor Roll. Lately, though, I’ve been feeling some distance between us. Sometimes she seems like she doesn’t even want to talk when I call and I really have to work to get a conversation going.

As for Jordan, he has a tendency to get angry with me at any given moment. Now that I have communication with them everyday, he makes sure to check on me and that I follow through on everything I tell him. At the beginning of my incarceration, he was known to throw tantrums or “fits”.

He was 6 years old at the time and suffered a great deal without the maternal care he was used to. He used to enjoy reading and learning but now he already says he doesn’t enjoy school. I’m coming home next month and when I talk about things going back to normal, both kids say they don’t wan’t to leave Grandma’s house, change schools, and make new friends ” Cecilia’s sister, Claudia, says the kids lack discipline because their grandmother doesn’t hold them accountable when they misbehave. She says Mia has a tendency to get angry, and Jordan reverts back to 5-year old behavior.

ON PRISON LIFE “Mothers in prison sit there and cry every day for their children. I wish I could see my kids every day.”

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TELLING THE STORY A parallel can be drawn between the plight of many children of inmates, and the Disney classic, Dumbo.

While incarceration disproportionately affects people of color, this story transcends race.

JAMIE BALBUENA Parsons SDS D+M Senior Thesis SPRING 2010

Dumbo lives with his mother, Mrs. Jumbo, in a travelling circus. They have to work under a mean ringmaster, and don’t live in the best environment, but they love and are happy with each other.

One day, Mrs. Jumbo gets mad because people are teasing her son for having big ears. She acts out in violence.

I wonder where she learned that?

As punishment, she is sent to live locked in a cage not much bigger than her body. She’s separated from everyone else because she is dangerous.

Mrs. Jumbo is miserable in prison. She is not used to being shackled, caged, and kept away from her son.

Does this teach her about non-violence?

Dumbo is scared and alone. He feels like it is his fault that his mother was taken from him and punished. He is worried about her and wants to know she is safe. Dumbo misses his mother and wishes he could be with her.

Mrs. Jumbo is worried about her son and misses him. She wishes she could be with him.

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TELLING THE STORY

JAMIE BALBUENA Parsons SDS D+M Senior Thesis SPRING 2010

Dumbo’s friend Timothy Mouse hates to see him so sad. He sneaks Dumbo out and takes him to see his mother in prison.

Their meeting is very emotional. Dumbo is not able to actually go in the cage to be with his mother like they used to. They can only look at each other and touch through the prison bars.

They are very happy to see each other and they both find comfort in the simple, natural joy of Mrs. Jumbo rocking Dumbo in her “arms”. She sings to Dumbo as his tears subside and he enjoys his precious time with his mother.

The visit must come to an end and Dumbo doesn’t want to leave. He wants his mother to come home with him, but they both know she cant.

Dumbo is sad and cries as he leaves without his mother. He cries so much that he gets the hiccups.

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TELLING THE STORY

JAMIE BALBUENA Parsons SDS D+M Senior Thesis SPRING 2010

Dumbo’s friend Timothy leads Dumbo to what he thinks is a bucket of water. He tells him to drink it to help calm his hiccups.

After drinking, Dumbo notices the water tastes funny. There is some kind of liquor in the water. Alcohol is readily available the unsupervised, circus environment.

Dumbo and Timothy are drunk. Whatever is in the water makes Dumbo hallucinate.

Dumbo and Timothy wake up the next morning in a tree. They don’t remember what happened the night before, and they don’t know how they got up the tree. They meet a gang of crows who laughs at them and suggests that Dumbo can fly.

The gang leader feels bad for Dumbo and gives him a magical feather that can make him fly.

With the confidence of the magic feather, and the encouragement of the gang and Timothy, Dumbo engages in the risky behavior of jumping off a cliff.

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TELLING THE STORY

What if Dumbo couldn’t fly?

At the end of the movie, it turns out that even without the magic feather, Dumbo really can fly. He hones his natural talent, gets a lot of money, and is able to free his mother from prison...

While characteristic among fairy tales, that kind of happy ending is uncharacteristic among children of inmates in the real world.

What if Dumbo couldn’t visit his mother?

What if he got into trouble on his drunken night?

What if there were other drugs available?

What if the gang gave him a tool to encourage him to do bad things?

What if...

JAMIE BALBUENA Parsons SDS D+M Senior Thesis SPRING 2010

TELLING THE STORY

He would have hit the ground.

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LANDSCAPE SCAN

COMMUNICATION “produces, sustains and empowers relationships. For children whose parents are incarcerated, communication with the parent in prison is essential.”1 “The quality of parent–child bonds is a major factor determining the degree a child adjusts to parental incarceration... therefore, face-to-face contact or written communication is encouraged.”8

JAMIE BALBUENA Parsons SDS D+M Senior Thesis SPRING 2010

LANDSCAPE SCAN

Prison initiatives

LETTER WRITING

PHONE CALLS

Inconvenient

Convenient

Children may face obstacles from prison regulations and sometimes caregivers

Limited Monitored

Hard for kids to write down their emotions 1

Collect calls can be expensive 12

Require resources

Children cannot call their parents

Limited by literacy level of parent, child, and caregiver 12

PRISON VISITS “can decrease the stress of separation, enable children to maintain relationships with parents, and increase the likelihood of successful reunification” 12 Most prisoners live 100-500 miles away from their families 6 Caregivers must be able to afford transportation 12 Visiting procedures are uncomfortable or humiliating 12 Visiting rooms are unhospitable to children 12 Children may forgo visits to protect themselves from disappointment 6 Children must be accompanied by an adult, and often visit with other siblings, which doesn’t allow for private, one-onone time with the parent.

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LANDSCAPE SCAN

Visitation

JAMIE BALBUENA Parsons SDS D+M Senior Thesis SPRING 2010

LANDSCAPE SCAN

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LANDSCAPE SCAN

Visitation Policy These vsiting rules were taken from the U.S. Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Prisons, Program Statement CPD 5267.07.

Effective 4/7/2003.

It is clear, and with merit, that the main concerns of prison visitation are facility security.

“The Bureau of Prisons encourages visiting by family, friends, and community groups to maintain the morale of the inmate and to develop closer relationships between the inmate and family members or others in the community. The Warden shall develop procedures consistent with this rule to permit inmate visiting. The Warden may restrict inmate visiting when necessary to ensure the security and good order of the institution.�

JAMIE BALBUENA Parsons SDS D+M Senior Thesis SPRING 2010

LANDSCAPE SCAN

Visiting Room Rules Children under 16 may not visit unless accompanied by a responsible adult.

All visitors must be on the inmates preapproved visting list.

All visitors must present valild government-issued identification.

Staff may require a visitor to submit to a personal search.

The Warden shall maintain a record of visitors to each inmate.

Staff shall supervise each inmate visit to prevent the passage of contraband and to ensure the security and good order of the institution.

Staff shall permit limited physical contact.

Handshaking, embracing, and kissing are ordinarily permitted within the bounds of good taste and only at the beginning and at the end of the visit.

The visiting room officer shall be aware of any articles passed between the inmate and the visitor.

No pets allowed.

Visitors must adhere to the Visitng Room Dress Code.

Visitors may not bring anything into the visiting room besides photo identification and money for food.

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LANDSCAPE SCAN

Case Studies

JAMIE BALBUENA Parsons SDS D+M Senior Thesis SPRING 2010

LANDSCAPE SCAN

Prison MATCH of North Carolina This non-profit organization aims to maintain and strengthen the family bonds between children and mothers. It sponsors children to visit their incarcerated mothers in a “warm, home-like setting”. The program is open to infraction-free inmates who complete an 8-week parenting skills course. Participating children get 3-hour visits every month in which their mothers can cook for, play games with, read to, and simply talk to them.

This facilitates face-to-face communication and relieves the strain of prison visitation. This is great for a child who may be experiencing a difficult home life, and who is scared of the visiting procedure. I wonder if more time could be spent together.

Emailing A Prisoner This company offers a convenient way to send a letter to an inmate. Registered members can type up a letter from their home computers, and Emailing A Prisoner prints out and mails the letter to the inmate for $1. Members can also upload photos to be printed and send for $1 each. It’s not targeted specifically at family or children, but is an interesting example of a solution designed to foster communication between inmates and loved-ones. People are increasingly self-publishing information and photos to social networking sites like Facebook, because it’s so convenient, so this seems like a model that could be developed for children of inmates.

Hope House This Washington D.C. based non-profit seeks to strengthen the familial bonds between children and their incarcerated fathers. They offer several programs designed to foster communication, and embrace technology in doing so. They offer a Teleconference program, which is essentially a video chat between father and child every two weeks. I think the regularity of this service would be beneficial to a child facing numerous risk factors. Hope House also offers a Child Reading Program which allows a father to send a new story book and audio or video recording of himself reading it to his child. Another interesting offer is the Father to Child Summer Camp, where children are able to spend a week with their fathers in prison.

I’m intrigued by all programs as the video chat allows the child to see the parent, the reading program provides a child with a tangible object, and the summer camp facilitates an extended visit which otherwise wouldn’t occur.

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LANDSCAPE SCAN

Case Studies

JPay has been able to partner with umerous facilities and a considerable amount of states throughout the nation.

JAMIE BALBUENA Parsons SDS D+M Senior Thesis SPRING 2010

LANDSCAPE SCAN

JPay “JPay is a service provided to family and friends of inmates incarcerated in state, county and federal correction facilities. JPay partners with departments of corrections, prisons and jails across the country to provide money transfer, email and video visitation services for family and friends.”

JPay interests me because it is a for-profit model that has been able to partner with prisons with the goal of providing communication service to families of inmates. What interests me most is its video visitation service. JPay installs ATM-like kiosks at participating prisons, at no cost to the the prison or the state, and participating inmates are able to video chat with family and friends. Visitors pay $12.50 for 30 minutes, which is less than typical phone calls7.

Aside from the emotional and economic benefits for inmates and family, this program actually benefits the prison as well. Richard Brown, a superintendant at an Indiana prison which uses JPay says, “When they (prisoners) have that contact with the outside family they actually behave better here at the facility,”7. Furthermore, there’s no chance inmates can get drugs or other contraband slipped to them7, which is another main concern of facilities, as noted in visitiation policies.

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EXPANDED RESEARCH

Trends in policy

“Prison costs are blowing holes in state budgets but barely making a dent in recidivism rates. At the same time, policy makers are becoming increasingly aware of researchbacked strategies for community corrections—better ways to identify which offenders need a prison cell and which can be safely handled in the community, new technologies to monitor their whereabouts and behavior, and more effective supervision and treatment programs to help them stay on the straight and narrow. [...] Indeed, a rising number of states already are diversifying their menu of sanctions with new approaches that save money but still ensure that the public is protected and that offenders are held accountable.”14 States are increasingly offering “earned time” if inmates complete education or rehabilitation programs, “demonstrate good behavior, or meet some other benchmark. [...] This strategy aids wardens and correctional officers by giving inmates an incentive to behave, and helps cut reoffense rates by increasing participation in riskreducing programs.”14

JAMIE BALBUENA Parsons SDS D+M Senior Thesis SPRING 2010

EXPANDED RESEARCH

Information sharing

“The child welfare community may have more to offer by contributing to the dialogue its expertise in caring for children who are separated from their parents and its understanding of the need that children have for a permanent family....

The child welfare and criminal justice systems work with many of the same families. At this time, however, the two systems lack formal channels of contact and have not developed methods for information-sharing or coordination of services. Professionals in both systems express frustration about this lack of coordination and acknowledge that increased collaboration between the two systems would certainly enhance outcomes for children and families.

Collaboration is difficult, though, because the two systems have different priorities and responsibilities; neither may have a thorough understanding of the other’s processes or concerns, and both are often overextended and have limited resources to invest in collaboration.”12

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OPPORTUNITIES

Communication

Separation is less disruptive when kids have contact with their parents13. The quality of parent-child bonds is a major factor determining the degree to which a child adjusts to parental incarceration8. Furthermore, improved mental health of the children can decrease caregiver stress, which directly impacts the well-being of the child8. Maintaining close family ties also decreases the risk of recidivism among inmates13.

Research

“The children of parents involved in the criminal justice system have no voice because they are invisible to the larger population�11. Data on the number, ages, gender, location or needs of these children are not collected by any agency11. There is no systemic way of identifying the children, or confirming accuracy10. Most data are estimates, and are filtered through the perspective of a professional or a caregiver, not the actual children10. Consequently, few reliable statistics exist12.There is also insufficient research into whether existing community outreach programs actually improve the lives of children13.

Rehabilitation

The United States spend $44 billion a year on corrections14.

Current public policy favors punishment over rehabilitation, which may lead people to believe that safety is high12. High incarceration rates and heavy spending have failed to have a clear impact on recidivism or overall crime. More states are diversifying into alternative, less costly sanctions, and looking into rehabilitation and education programs as they can be linked to better behavior in prison14. They are also linked to less reoffense. Furthermore, the growing expenses of incarceration comes at the cost of other programs like health, education, and social services12.

JAMIE BALBUENA Parsons SDS D+M Senior Thesis SPRING 2010

NEEDS ASSESSMENT

An intervention must foster communication between parent and child, identify the children and study their needs, and serve the children by promoting a corrections system that rehabilitates rather than punishes.

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INTERVENTION: PART 1

15 minute video visit.

Every school day.

Our Time is a program that can be adopted by prisons and schools. Run in a supervised, yet noninvasive environment, Our Time strives to build and strengthen parent-child relationships by providing participants with real-time, one-on-one time that might otherwise be experienced very rarely, if at all.

Inmates must meet eligibility requirements to participate, such as good behavior enrollment in parenting classes. Children must have caregiver permission.

BENEFITS

PARENT

CHILD

Free supplement to limited phone time

Builds secure parent-child bonds

Participation in everyday life of the child

Daily assurance that parent is safe

Motivation to stay out of trouble, and work toward release

No other visitors like siblings, parents, or caregivers allows for personal attention

PRISON

HOME

Inmates have an incentive to behave

Improved mental health decreases caregiver stress, which directly impacts the quality of childcare.

Decreased likelihood of reoffense

JAMIE BALBUENA Parsons SDS D+M Senior Thesis SPRING 2010

INTERVENTION: PART 2

Use Our Time as a tool to identify and study the children of inmates in relation to their circumstances and needs.

“The actual responses of children [to parental incarceration] are shaped by factors that are unique to their situation, including the gender of the parent, the age at which the separation occurs, and the length and disruptiveness of the incarceration.”13

Every participating child will have a file with their general information, information about their parent’s incarceration and most importantly, their needs.

When a child video chats, only a guidance counselor will be present in the room.

He or she will discreetly log keywords into a database.

This will be used to create a hierarchy of needs in relation to gender, race, gender of parent, age of separation, academic performance, etc.

Specific information will not be shared with anyone.

Children will be given their files upon graduation from high school.

JASMINE M. GOMEZ

KEY CONCERNS

gender: female dob: 5/9/04 age: 5 grade: kingergarten loc: takoma park, md race: black ethnicity: hispanic - panama parent: mother age of separation: 4 length of sentence: 5 years offense: drug posession distance from child: 350 miles caregiver: grandmother siblings: 2 brothers siblings in house: 1 brother community aid: not enrolled government aid: welfare, medicaid last prison visit: 12/26/09 academic performance: satisfact. class behavior: shy, isolated teacher comments:

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INTERVENTION: PART 3

ADAPTIVE EXHCANGE FOR SYSTEMICALLY

OPPRESSED PEOPLE

AESOP is a system which uses research, collected from Our Time, to influence policy change. It will report findings, and develop guidelines for effectively mitigating the many risks faced by children of inmates.

AESOP’s mission is to study and serve this large, at-risk population while breaking the cycles of mass incarceration.

mutually influencing exchange

Advocate change.

“Increasing adaptive exchanges between the individual and the environment is the foci of interventions within an ecological perspective. Adaptive exchanges enhance the fit between the person and environment and result in increased self-esteem, greater competence, improved relatedness, and increased self-direction.”15

individual enhanced fit environment increased self-esteem greater competence improved relatedness increased self-direction

JAMIE BALBUENA Parsons SDS D+M Senior Thesis SPRING 2010

SYSTEM MAP Government

findings/suggestions

Dept. of Justice

Dept. of Education

CHANGE

CHANGE research

c

ng

ve

ex

ex

ti v e

cha

nge

adap

ha

e

staff

parent

child

prison

school

inmates

students

ad

ap

ti

staff

increased self-esteem greater competence improved relatedness increased self-direction Less Re-offense

Less Offense

Less Crime Happier, Richer, Safer Society

40 41

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

Year 1

Year 3

Launch Our Time as a pilot program in states where video visitation is already allowed.

Launch Our Time in new states.

Gather data.

Gather data.

Promote Our Time

Develop effectiveness studies on existing programs.

Year 5 Present first AESOP research paper to government, telling the unheard story of families separated by mass incarceration and suggesting new programs for these families, while reminding the community: The more you give, the more you get.

JAMIE BALBUENA Parsons SDS D+M Senior Thesis SPRING 2010

Give more. Get more.

JAMIE BALBUENA Parsons SDS Design + Management Senior Thesis 2010 Rabinovitz + Fryman

Jamie.Balbuena@gmail.com

42 43

JAMIE BALBUENA Parsons SDS D+M Senior Thesis SPRING 2010

This project was inspired by the experiences of my family, as it was separated by incarceration for 20 years. The following photos show the deterioration of our family unit over time.

There is evidence that the system is changing today, so hopefully new programs like AESOP will make a difference for countless at-risk children.

JAMIE BALBUENA Parsons SDS D+M Senior Thesis SPRING 2010

TEXT 1

Adalist-Estrin, Ann. “Communication Tips For Prisoners and their Families.” Children of Prisoners Library. http://www.fcnetwork.org/cpl/CPL107-CommunicationTips.html.

2

Bureau of Justice Statistics. U.S. Department of Justice. “Prisoners in 2008.” http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=1763.

3

Clear, Todd R. Imprisoning Communities: How Mass Incarceration Makes Disadvantaged Neighborhoods Worse. New York: Oxford University Press.

4

Dallaire, Danielle H. “Incarcerated Mothers and Fathers: A Comparison of Risks for Children and Families.” Family Relations 56, no. 5 (December 1, 2007): 440-453.

5

Glaze, Lauren E., L. A. Maruschak. “Parents in Prison and their Minor Children.” Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, 2008.

6

Hartney, Christopher. “US Rates of Incarceration: A Global Perspective.” National Council on Crime and Delinquency, 2006.

7

Martinez, Ediclo. “Prison Visits Go ‘Pay-Per-View’.” CBS News, July 6, 2009. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-5013295-504083.html

8

Miller, Keva M. “The Impact of Parental Incarceration on Children: An Emerging Need for Effective Interventions.” Child & Adolescent Social Work Journal 23, no. 4 (August 1, 2006): 472-486.

9

Mumola, Christopher J. “Incarcerated Parents and their Children.” Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, 2000.

10

Nesmith, Ande, “Children of Incarcerated Parents,” Council on Crime and Justice, 2006.

11

Reed, Diane and E. Reed. “Children of incarcerated parents.” Social Justice 24, no. 3 (October 1, 1997): 152-169.

12

Seymour, Cynthia. “Children with parents in prison: Child welfare policy, program, and practice issues.” Child Welfare 77, no. 5 (September 1, 1998): 469-493.

13

Sherman, Alexis. “Children of Prisoners.” The Center for Research on Children in the U.S. (CROCUS) & Georgetown Public Policy Institute, 2005.

14

Warren, Jennifer. “One in 100: Behind Bars in America 2008,” The Pew Center on the States, 2008.

15

Young, Diane S., C.J. Smith. “When moms are incarcerated: The needs of children, mothers, and caregivers.” Families in Society 81, no. 2 (March 1, 2000): 130-141.

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IMAGE JAMIE BALBUENA Parsons SDS D+M Senior Thesis SPRING 2010

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Elyse Butler http://www.elysebutler.com Lucian Coman

Screencaps from Walt Disney’s, Dumbo.

http://www.dreamstime.com/ poco_bw_info

http://magicalscreencaps.com

Author’s own.

Jerome Brunet

Shot by inmates on photo duty in visiting rooms.

http://www.jeromebrunet. com/cop11.html