2020 ACA San Diego Program Book_Winter Conference

likelihood of recidivating after release. Contact and communication can also benefit children by mitigating the trauma and stress they experience when their parent is incarcerated. Learning Objectives: • Inform correctional administrators about the impacts of parental incarceration and the barriers to contact and communication inherent in prisons and jails. • Describe the model practices as strategies for reducing barriers. • Explain key considerations, including benefits and challenges, for implementing the model practices in correctional settings. Moderator: Hilary Cuthrell , Correctional Program Specialist, National Institute of Corrections, Washington, D.C. Speakers: Lindsey Cramer , Research Associate, Justice Policy Center, Urban Institute, Washington, D.C.; Hilary Cuthrell , Correctional Program Specialist, National Institute of Corrections, Washington, D.C.; Bryce Peterson , Principal Research Associate, Justice Policy Center, Urban Institute, Washington, D.C.

A-4F The Family Connections Project: Model Practices for Parents in Prison and Jail

Room 1B Through the Family Connections project, corrections officials, researchers, people with lived experiences, and other experts developed a set of low-cost, high impact model practices for prisons and jails aimed at facilitating contact and communication between incarcerated parents and their children and families. The model practices include strategies such as child-friendly visitor lobbies, parenting classes for incarcerated parents, contact visits between parents and their families, coached telephone calls, letter writing, caregiver supports, and family-inclusive reentry planning. Research has shown that parents and children benefit from practices that support communication and contact while a parent is incarcerated. For example, increased opportunities to interact with their children and families can help improve incarcerated parents’ well-being and adjustment to the correctional environment, and decrease feelings of depression, misconduct in the facility, and the

Workshops Saturday, Jan. 11 t 4–5:30 p.m.

78 — ACA 2020 Winter Conference