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Families carry jail burdens

The Indianapolis Recorder - 8/19/2017

Cecilia Whitfield thought she had done everything right to keep her children out of trouble. She and her husband - co-leaders of a two-parent household - both worked. The family attended church. They made their home in Eagle Creek, away from the perceived challenges of the inner city.

Still, just weeks after graduating high school, Whitfield's son was facing 40 years behind bars for attempted armed robbery of a Wendy's restaurant. Whitfield later learned her son was living with undiagnosed depression, which she says prompted him to use drugs, leading him to robbery to fund his habit.

And just like that, Whitfield found herself carrying a burden that's all too common among Black women in America - particularly mothers and grandmothers - who disproportionately shoulder the responsibility of caring for incarcerated loved ones.

Research and countless stories from families show the high costs - emotional, financial and otherwise - of having a family member behind bars.

A September 2015 report titled "Who Pays? The True Cost of Incarceration on Families," found "across respondents of all income brackets, the average debt incurred for court-related fines and fees alone was $13,607."

"Families are often forced to choose between supporting an incarcerated loved one and meeting basic needs," the report says.

Beyond court costs, many families take responsibility for "mental health support, care for untreated physical ailments,

the loss of children sent to foster care or extended family, permanent declines in income, and loss of opportunities like education and employment for both the individuals incarcerated and their family members," the report says.

Additionally, maintaining contact with an incarcerated loved one was found to be both valuable and costly.

"Many families went into debt to remain in contact, or fell out of contact with loved ones because they were unable to sustain the costs," the report says. "The most frequent barriers ... to maintaining contact with incarcerated family members include the cost of phone calls (69 percent), distance to location of family member (47 percent) and visitation-related costs (46 percent)."

The positive impact of sustained contact between imprisoned offenders and their outside support systems has been well-documented.

The "Who Pays" report sums it up: "When incarcerated people maintain contact with their family members on the outside, the likelihood of successful reunification and re-entry increases, and their chances of recidivating are reduced."

A person who was formerly incarcerated in Los Angeles shared with researchers: "Being in contact with my family grounded me. I knew I still had people who loved me. It kept spirits up knowing no one abandoned me, and kept up my connection with the outside world. For my family, they were able to make sure I'm here, I'm alive, I'm not going crazy. It was very important for family to know this from phone calls and visits."

Officials with the Indiana Department of Correction are aware of the importance of maintaining family contact during incarceration; it's written into IDOC policy that the department will encourage offenders to maintain social relationships.

To that end, IDOC contracts with private vendors to offer phone call, video call and email capabilities, in addition to in-person visitation opportunities and access to send and receive U.S. mail.

IDOC officials say they are aware of the potential financial burden of keeping in touch and say they have made efforts to keep it affordable. For one, each offender is guaranteed a set number of stamps and materials for sending mail. Doug Garrison, IDOC chief communications officer, said the organization absorbs that cost.

IDOC CFO Christina Reagle said communications vendors are chosen through a competitive bidding process, and cost is typically a deciding factor. When opportunities for savings are identified, contracts can be renegotiated. In one recent example, Reagle said, IDOC arranged for families to avoid some fees when sending funds to offenders.

Though there's no charge to visit in person - some states charge "background check fees" for visitors, but Indiana does not - there are still costs associated. Jon Ferguson, IDOC legal counsel, said the department tries to be mindful of that.

"Any time that you go to do a visit in person, there's obviously going to be gas and mileage. We have facilities all around the state of Indiana," he said. "We try to keep in mind where the offender originated from, or any family members that might be there. We try to keep it within traveling distance to the best of our ability."

Still, families struggle. Whitfield quickly recognized the extent of the problem while she was visiting her son in prison.

"Families were always asking, 'Can we ride with you?' And I was thinking, doesn't this state offer transportation? ... I thought, well, I think I'll start a shuttle service for all of us, because we're all in it together."

So Whitfield and her husband bought a school bus, and Use What You've Got Prison Ministry Keeping Families Connected (UWYGPM) was created. The organization shuttles family members to prisons across the state for regular visits.

"Sometimes when you're helping other people, it can take your mind off your own problems. That was such a devastating thing for me for my son to be facing 40 years," she said. "Just starting that shuttle service helped me to cope."

Based on anecdotal evidence and some of UWYGPM's own research, the shuttle service has helped others cope, as well. Whitfield said a past

'Can we ride with you?' And I was thinking, doesn't this state offer transportation? ... I board member with research experience helped track outcomes among the organization's participants and found a lower recidivism rate among shuttle users' re-entering loved one compared to overall numbers for Marion County from 2000-2014.

"Research proves just one visit helps to reduce the recidivism rate by 13 percent," she said. "Having that support system, they'll be able to know somebody cares, and they've got to care, too."

Whitfield said she charges a small fee for rides, but she doesn't turn away people who can't pay.

Beyond the shuttle service, Whitfield has dedicated herself to preparing families for the return of their incarcerated member.

"You've got to help people so that when these guys come home, their family can give them some type of resources," she said.

UWYGPM has hosted sit-down dinners with guest speakers; women's retreats with workshops on financial literacy, self-care and other life skills; and an annual Christmas celebration for the children and families who ride the shuttle.

Whitfield said she's had the pleasure of seeing shuttle riders make huge strides. One woman, at age 45, sought help to learn to read; she's now working on her high school equivalency certificate. A boy who rode the shuttle for 10 years to visit his father graduated high school with strong grades and is now a senior in high school. Whitfield likes to think her program played a part in their stories.

Though the recent loss of two grants has put an end to some of UWYGPM's programs, Whitfield hopes the setback is temporary.

"We're trying to rebuild and restructure, so we're looking for people who will go out to the community to let people know that we're here. We need someone to help us keep the buses clean. We need a social worker to meet with the families, volunteers who know how to raise money and put on events and new board members," she said.

In the meantime, the shuttles keep running, and the riders benefit from knowing they're not alone in the struggle.

"We help everybody, it doesn't matter who you are, whether you go to church, what color you are. Anyone who wants to go visit their loved ones, that's what we do."

For more information about Use What You've Got Prison Ministries Keeping Families Connected, visit usewhatyouvegotministry.org, email uwygm@sbcglobal.net or call (317) 924-4124.