Review by Terry A. Kupers, M.D.

About A Parent’s Message: An Interactive Program Supporting Parent-Child Bond:
We know that quality contact with loved ones throughout a prison term provides parents behind bars the best chance of success at going straight after they are released to the community; and we know that the children of prisoners are at great risk of falling into an intergenerational tragedy involving school failure, unemployment, drugs and crime. We say we want to give a “second chance” to ex-prisoners, and we say we want to help the children of prisoners succeed in life, but there is extremely little guidance available for accomplishing these worthy aims.

Now, with a hands-on, entirely wise and kind manual supporting ongoing quality connection between parents in prison and their offspring in the community, Dr. Ruth Clark and Ms. Carolyn LeCroy supply a step-by-step method for prisoner parents to play a constructive role in their children’s lives and for children to remain in close contact with parents in prison.

As a psychiatrist who is very concerned about the wellbeing of prisoner parents as well as their children and families, I find much cause for hope in this very poignant and practical interactive program.