If surviving the current economic climate is challenging for the average family, imagine the added financial pressures that arise when a loved one is involved with the justice system. A source of income may be lost when a family member is incarcerated, but that is often only the beginning. For many families, court fees, restitution, and the cost of visitation and phone calls are overwhelming.

On Monday, June 1, the Family Life Behind Bars radio program will tackle the subject of navigating family finances when a loved one is incarcerated or coming home from jail or prison. The broadcast begins at 9 p.m. and will feature guidance from a financial adviser who has firsthand experience; his family has been affected by the incarceration of a family member.

For more information, click here. You can listen live online or by calling 347-326-9981.

 

The New York City Bar Association presented Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes with the 2009 Diversity Champion Award at its Fourth Annual Diversity Conference this week.

Congratulations to District Attorney Hynes, whose work in Brooklyn demonstrates support for a family-focused approach in the juvenile and criminal justice systems. The First Assistant District Attorney in his office, Anne J. Swern, will receive Family Justice's Justice Leadership Award at our annual celebration on Thursday, June 11.

Last year, New Mexico Governor Richardson's task force on prison reform recommended incorporating Family Justice's Relational Inquiry Tool into its work. Through a grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Family Justice is working with the Central New Mexico Correctional Facility (CNMCF) and Parole Region Two in Albuquerque to support staff in integrating the Relational Inquiry Tool and other strength-based, family-focused tools and methods. In the kickoff meeting of the diagonal work group, there was exciting discussion around envisioning how families involved in reentry reduce recidivism.

In photo (left to right): Dana Zaskoda, accountability, research, and planning coordinator; Christine Vallejos, CNMCF deputy warden level II; Ken Sandlin, CNMCF deputy warden of administration; and Sarah Clawson, family services development coordinator.

 

The Coalition for Juvenile Justice held its annual conference and 25th anniversary celebration earlier this month in Arlington, Virginia.

A panel on lessons learned from family-focused work featured Shay Bilchik, founder and director of the Center for Juvenile Justice Reform at Georgetown University; Bernard E. Warner, chief deputy secretary of juvenile justice for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation;and Family Justice founder and president Carol Shapiro.

Read more here about family-focused initiatives with state juvenile justice agencies to rethink and shift their organizational cultures, policies, and practices to engage families.