Resources Benefiting Fathers

Fatherhood Initiative for Incarcerated & Under-Resourced Fathers

"Unfortunately, children do not come into this world with an instruction manual. Therefore being a good parent does not just happen, you must put forth effort to learn how to be a loving, nurturing parent."-Elain Ellerbe, RBF CEO & National Consultant/Trainer-Nurturing Parenting Programs

5,000 plus fathers & families served and growing everyday

Being a parent is never easy and being an incarcerated parent poses many unique obstacles for both the parent and their children. Here are some sobering statistics concerning children of incarcerated parents:

• 65% of the offenders incarcerated in Louisiana have children under the age of 10.
• African-American children are nearly 9 times more likely and Hispanic children are 3 times more likely to have a parent in prison than white children.
• 50% are more likely to live in poverty.
• They are more likely to have emotional, psychological and developmental limitations and will need special education programs.
• They are 75% more at risk for abuse and neglect.

Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2010

Maintaining a parent/child relationship is extremely important to the child's well-being and the incarcerated parent's success in re-entering society. In addition to lowering the likelihood of recidivism among incarcerated parents, there is evidence that maintaining the child-parent relationship while a parent is incarcerated improves a child's emotional response to the incarceration and encourages parent-child attachment (Examining the Effect of Incarceration and In-Prison Family Contact on Prisoners' Family Relationships, Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 2005).

For more information on fatherhood and resources, visit these websites:

National Fatherhood Initiative www.fatherhood.org
National Fatherhood Information Clearinghouse www.fatherhood.gov
National Resource Center for Children and Families of Incarcerated www.fcnetwork.org