Article published May 25, 2008
STRENGTHENING FAMILY TIES BEHIND BARS
Program strives to assist inmates returning home
By LAREN WEBER
BLADE STAFF WRITER
In a small, uninviting room inside the Toledo Correctional Institution with a clear view of the barbed-wire fences that separate inmates from the outside world, Corey Adams admitted he is scared.
He said he's unsure how he'll adapt to life beyond the security fences and structured environment of the prison - a life to which he has grown accustomed.
More than anything, though, he is worried about fatherhood.
"I always told myself that when I had kids, I was always going to be there for them, protecting them, teaching them things, and watching them grow," he said.
Adams, 27, was sentenced to six years in prison for his role in a drunken-driving accident in July, 2001, that killed one woman and critically injured her husband. The head-on collision on State Rt. 65 just west of Perrysburg also severely injured Adams.
He was in a coma for about three weeks after the crash and spent several months learning how to walk and talk.His daughter, Ciara, was 1 at the time, and his son, Justus, was born one month after he was convicted of aggravated vehicular homicide.
"The only thing that makes prison tough is the separation from your family," he said.
Adams, who is scheduled to be released from prison Thursday, served the first four years of his sentence at the North Central Correctional Institution in Marion, Ohio.
In November, he was transferred to the Toledo prison to participate in a nine-month program aimed at strengthening an inmate's relationship with his children and parenting partner in an effort to reduce recidivism.
In its second year, Returning Home, run by Lucas County Treatment Alternatives to Street Crime Inc., brings an inmate's family to the prison once a week for three hours to participate in mutual programming.
Scott Sylak, executive director of TASC, said only nonviolent offenders who are considered a low security risk and have children are eligible to participate.
The program, funded through a $218,453 grant from the Governor's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, is designed to help foster relationships between inmates and their children - a growing effort across the country to keep offenders from returning to prison.
"Those individuals that are connected with their families are less likely to be rearrested and reincarcerated upon release," Mr. Sylak said. "The idea is to keep that connection with their kids and families."
A 2005 report by the Urban Institute stated that more than half of the 1.4 million adults in state and federal prisons in the United States had minor children, 58 percent of whom were under 10. The number of prisoners nationwide has since nearly doubled to more than 2.2 million, according to the most recent figures available from the U.S. Department of Justice.
In 2006, nearly 50,000 Ohio children had a parent in prison, increasing the likelihood of the child being incarcerated sometime during his or her life. A report by the Ohio Department of Youth Services states that 58 percent of young offenders in the state system have a family member in prison.
Christy Visher, principal research associate at the Urban Institute, released a study in April, 2007, that focused on the struggles prisoners face when they are released into the community.
Of the 300 prisoners who returned home to the Cleveland area, Ms. Visher said one in four men identified family support as an important factor in keeping them from returning to prison and an additional 9 percent said it was seeing their children.
"Some of the research we've done has suggested that helping people maintain those ties to families improves their outcomes after release," she said. "They need to make that connection so the family is ready to accept them back."
Sixty-two offenders have participated in Returning Home since its inception in July, 2006. Currently, 25 inmates and a total of 51 children are taking part in the program, which is now held two days a week to accommodate the large group of people, Mr. Sylak said.
In February, Mr. Sylak combed through local court records and arrest records of the first group of 31 participants. He found that seven people had been rearrested since their departure from the program in December, 2007.
Of those seven, four will likely be sent back to prison, Mr. Sylak said.
Nationally, half of the about 650,000 people released nationwide each year return to prison within three years, according the Urban Institute.
| TALK BACK |
 TALK BACK: Join Forums to talk about this story. |
|
|
The goal of the weekly sessions through Returning Home is to help reduce that number, Mr. Sylak said, also noting that keeping people from returning to prison is cost-effective.
On average, it costs about $24,500 a year to incarcerate a low-level felon, according to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. Mr. Sylak said it costs only about $5,000 for each family to participate in the program.
While in the sessions, families receive help in areas such as education, job skills, parenting, and improving communication.
The children receive age-appropriate counseling in similar topics and then are asked to participate in role-playing activities.
"It's a very cognitive-based program," he said. "You give some education, you do some role-playing, and they get some experience so when they are presented with those situations, they behave in a new fashion."
Parents receive training on how to deal appropriately with their children's misbehavior, and inmates are taught how to re-establish themselves as an authoritative figure in their child's life.
"We know that stronger parenting reduces the likelihood of the child's delinquency," Mr. Sylak said.
The program, held outside of normal visiting hours, is designed to mimic a traditional family setting.
For the first hour, inmates and their children eat a home-cooked meal together. The chil-dren also can read books with their families, play board games, or color.
"The program is designed to [help them] function as a family and to simulate the family environment as best as possible," Mr. Sylak said.
At one of the first few sessions in January, an upset Justus buried his head in his father's chest.
Whimpering, the 5-year-old said he wanted his daddy to come home.
"It's too long," he said of the four months remaining until his dad was to be released.
Justus' mom, Erica Adams, tried to comfort her son by reminding him that this year - for the first time - he'll get to celebrate his birthday with his dad. Justus turns 6 on June 30.
While in prison in Marion, Adams saw his children only once or twice a month because it was difficult for Mrs. Adams, 28, and the children to make the nearly two-hour trip.
There, inmates were required to remain seated across a table from their visitor, a somewhat standard visitation policy.
Adams said that the few times his daughter, Ciara, 7, who is from a previous relationship, visited him in prison, she was shy and withdrawn.
"We were in an environment where there was a lot of people and we couldn't move out of our seat. She sat there and was real quiet and never opened up," he said.
Adams said he has seen a dramatic change in Ciara's behavior since she started attending Returning Home.
"She really opened up and gives me hugs when I come in and leave," he said.
Mrs. Adams said the program has not only helped the children, but also helped Corey "feel more like a father."
"He can get up and walk around," she said. "We can eat a meal together like families do."
Mckenzie Zietlow, 9, who is Mrs. Adams' daughter from a previous relationship, also attended the weekly program. Mckenzie and Justus live in Holland with Mrs. Adams; Ciara lives primarily with her mother.
During the family's free time between dinner and counseling sessions, Ciara often played a board game called Girl Power with her dad and stepmom. Mckenzie liked to color pictures while Justus focused most of his energy on his dad.
Mrs. Adams said Justus was extra rambunctious on Tuesdays because he knew he would get to see his dad. "He loves it," she said.
For six years, Mrs. Adams said she has being counting down to the day when her husband comes home. She is looking forward to the simple things: sitting on the couch and watching television together or going to the park with the children.
"I just can't wait," she said.
Justus also has some things planned for when his dad comes home. The youngster wants his dad to coach his soccer team and wants to fish, bike, and swim with him this summer.
Adams said those are the kinds of things he can't wait to do with his children.
"When I'm out there, I really just want to take care of my kids and be around my family," he said.
In an effort to keep inmates on track once they're released into the community, the program extends three months after an inmate is released. Mr. Sylak said many offenders opt to not participate after their release.
But Michael Cortez, 38, who was released from the Toledo Correctional Institution in February after three years for a felony conviction of possession of heroin, stayed in contact with organizers.
They were able to help him get his driver's license back and offered suggestions for employment. Cortez said he was recently hired at a hotel in downtown Toledo. "It's a good program all the way around," he said. "It allows you to see your family, and they give advice on where to go [after release]."
There is a similar effort in Michigan that focuses on readying families and children for the return of an inmate into the household. It is part of the Michigan Prisoner Re-entry Initiative, a state-funded pilot program developed in 2004.
Priscilla Kern, a family advocate, works with inmates and their families at the Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility in Ionia, Mich.
Ms. Kern periodically visits with the inmate's family at home, preparing them for the "dynamic change" that occurs when the prisoner returns. She works separately with the inmate.
She said a lot of focus is placed on the children in an effort to combat the cycle of criminal behavior that sometimes exists within families.
"We're trying to encourage better behaviors with parents to help [them] be better role models in a more positive way for their kids," she said.
Of the 20 families Ms. Kern has counseled during the program's 1 1/2-year existence, four offenders have returned to prison, she said.
Adams said he is determined never to return to prison. He will be on probation for five years upon release, though he is unsure of the exact conditions.
Regardless, Adams said he will not drink or put himself in that type of environment.
At the time of the fatal accident, tests showed Adams had a blood-alcohol content of 0.21 percent. In Ohio, 0.10 percent then was considered impairment for motorists.
Adams said he plans on sharing his story with his children and others in hopes of keeping them from making a similar mistake.
"When they get older and might start making the wrong choices, that would be the time to bring out the [accident] pictures to let them know I know from experience."
Contact Laren Weber at:
lweber@theblade.com
or 419-724-6050.
Permanent Link
|
|
 |
|
ALSO: 
Search
advertisement
