Archive: Around Town

A pilot program that has offered parenting workshops for inmates in the Tompkins County Jail is expanding its curriculum and developing a cohort of classes for community members affected by incarceration. Last year, the Parents Apart Program enrolled 38 inmates in six hours of classes facilitated by an experienced parenting educator from Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County. Beginning this month, the program was restructured into 12 modules that address specific issues related to inmates who are parents.

"We felt it was very important to offer this to incarcerated individuals because even if they're not going through a divorce, they are separated from their children, and their children are impacted by their incarceration," said Jennifer Gray, a community educator at Cornell Cooperative Extension, which developed the program. The program has been funded by several organizations, including the Community Foundation of Tompkins County, the Cornell Cooperative Extension Tompkins Re-Entry Program, the Tompkins County Jail and the Legacy Foundation of Tompkins County.

"The quality of parenting skills in our community impacts all of us," said Janet Cotraccia, program officer for Community Foundation. "Children are deeply impacted when they have an incarcerated parent, and this programming is another way we can support access to a higher quality of life for all of our children." A report prepared by students in the Cornell University Department of Policy Analysis and Management showed that jail participants found the program helpful and that they had attempted to implement what they learned in the workshops. The study was based on a survey of inmates and community residents who have taken the course, which has been offered in Tompkins County since the 1990s.

The workshops in the jail are designed to provide inmates with the resources necessary to maintain their relationships with their children while incarcerated and to co-parent them successfully after their release. Topics covered include effective parenting skills, effects of separation and divorce on children, and conflict resolution strategies.

The next phase of the program will focus on developing a series of workshops that will be offered to community members impacted by incarceration, including spouses of inmates or other caregivers. With a second grant from Community Foundation, the program organizers are conducting a focus group with residents to determine what type of parenting skills class should be offered and what type of supports are needed.

"One thing that can be done to help people while they're in the jail is for trained professionals to work with their family members and other caregivers to build on and strengthen their existing parenting and communication skills," said Chris Kai-Jones, the Student and Community Coordinator at Cornell Cooperative Extension. "The premise of this work is that parents and caregivers impacted by incarceration, like all parents, can benefit from having some shared tools to help their children thrive despite life's challenges."

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