The Problem:
Incarcerated fathers/mothers that have no means to supporting their children financially.
The Facts:
- Since 1991, the number of children with parents in prison has increased by more than 50 percent. Most of these children have an incarcerated father, but a growing number-currently 8 percent-have an incarcerated mother.
- 1.1 million incarcerated persons are parents to an estimated 2.3 million children, Bureau of Justice Statistics
- More than 7 million children have a parent under some form of correctional supervision, Bureau of Justice Statistics
- Children of incarcerated parents will spend an average of 6 years 8 months separated from them, Aid to Children of Incarcerated Mothers, Inc.
I am a single mother of a 7 year old daughter whose father as been incarcerated for almost 2 years with another 1-4 years to go. I am not single in the terms of not having anyone to help me raise my child, I have a life-partner that is helping me. (By the way my life partner is a man…I think he deserves more than boyfriend) Yet financially I still feel burdened because the majority of her financial needs still fall upon me. No, I'm not a welfare mother or a lazy gold digger…I am a hard working ambitious woman. I went back to work when my daughter was 2 months old and have held steady gainful income for over 10 years. Just over 2 years ago, I finally won my battle with getting steady child support. Yet a couple of months after that victory, I was hit with her father getting locked up. Not for for a little crime either. So I find myself here, and from the statistics plenty of other parents are here too, where my court order means nothing. Nothing but a piece of paper. While I wait for this man to get out of jail. Then what? He is not suddenly going to have a job, where he can meet his financial obligations. Thats a fact. So what do I do in the mean time?
The Solution:
I feel like something should be done, where parents that are incarcerated can spend their time working to support their children. And no, I don't want the government to pay these people using tax dollars…thats like me sending my own money. I want private companies to partner with the justice system and create/offer jobs to inmates. This job would be done inside of the jail and would have little to no impact on jobs for people that are not incarcerated. In others words, I don't want them to have to be transported anywhere or take away jobs of law abiding people's jobs. Something has to be done…something. So that I can go to my mail box on the 1st/15th and have a child support check. Especially when I have a court order. Something gotta give.
My Argument:
I am going to start by saying. I have little to no sympathy for my daughter's dad. I don't. I don't know about anyone else locked up. But him - he gets none. So my argument for supporting this "Work While Locked Up" program, is simply this. What else are they doing in jail! Watching TV, lifting weights, playing basketball, joining gangs?! I know that some people read and try to get an education. But your education is doing nothing for your child that has to live without you. Why not have something set up where a person (who cares enough) can work for minimum wages and send something to their children for financial support. It keeps a man/woman focused on doing something other than wallowing in their circumstances and makes it a little easier for single parent's in this situation.
Maybe I am seeing this too naively to think that private companies would jump on this program. But hope is a thing grown in the heart not with your eyes. Now what are yall's thought?
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