“Six out of 10 male children of male prisoners will go on to offend.”
A multitude of advocacy group are making a stand to incite change in these institutions.
MISS, an acronym for Mothers of Incarcerated Sons Society, is a group of women who originally banded together to support their sons (and daughters too), and now support those of others who have been imprisoned as well. The group takes a focus on those with mental illness who are still put through the criminal justice system.
The NRCCFI, or National Resource Center on Children and Families of the Incarcerated, is one of the oldest organizations designed to assist kids and families affected by the imprisonment of a loved one.
Movements to incite change within the prison system aren’t just external ones. Just this path month, a new prison was opened in Cork City with a focus on prison as a facility for intervention and increasing the odds of its prisoners to have a better quality of life upon release. Another highlight will be increased visiting hours, so as not to punish the other family members, and give them more of a chance at a normal life.
Without caring members of the community around prisoners we will never make progress towards a society free from mass incarceration.
The most important change is one in mindset: the vast majority of those who go to prison will be repeat offenders. We need a system that will assist and educate our prisoners, not continue a cycle of traditional punishment.
