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On Thursday November 12, 250 leaders from Civic Action Network member congregations and allied organizations turned out to a public meeting regarding children of the incarcerated with the Illinois Department of Corrections Director Michael Randle. Randle had agreed to the meeting after receiving hundreds of postcards from our member congregations. It was the latest victory in our multiyear campaign on behalf of children with incarcerated parents.
At the meeting, IDOC representatives heard testimony on the need for improved family-friendly visitation, including families in inmate classification and re-entry planning, family transportation, and alternative sentencing. Thanks to moving testimony and powerful turnout, the department committed to the following 6 demands:
* Creating full contact, family friendly visitation in all IDOC facilities
* Removing limitations on the number of children who can visit a parent at one time
* Making information on lockdown available publically as early as possible
* Including distance from family as a consideration in where inmates are placed
* Including families in re-entry plans
* Creating 100 new beds of family unity model alternative sentencing to provide parents with addictions treatment while keeping them with their families, if HB174 or something like it passes
These commitments represent major steps forward for children of the incarcerated in Illinois, and they are all thanks to the hard work of hundreds of leaders in Civic Action Network member congregations.
Civic Action Wins Change for Children of the Incarcerated
Dec 14 1:04 PMOn Thursday November 12, 250 leaders from Civic Action Network member congregations and allied organizations turned out to a public meeting regarding children of the incarcerated with the Illinois Department of Corrections Director Michael Randle. Randle had agreed to the meeting after receiving hundreds of postcards from our member congregations. It was the latest victory in our multiyear campaign on behalf of children with incarcerated parents.
At the meeting, IDOC representatives heard testimony on the need for improved family-friendly visitation, including families in inmate classification and re-entry planning, family transportation, and alternative sentencing. Thanks to moving testimony and powerful turnout, the department committed to the following 6 demands:
* Creating full contact, family friendly visitation in all IDOC facilities
* Removing limitations on the number of children who can visit a parent at one time
* Making information on lockdown available publically as early as possible
* Including distance from family as a consideration in where inmates are placed
* Including families in re-entry plans
* Creating 100 new beds of family unity model alternative sentencing to provide parents with addictions treatment while keeping them with their families, if HB174 or something like it passes
These commitments represent major steps forward for children of the incarcerated in Illinois, and they are all thanks to the hard work of hundreds of leaders in Civic Action Network member congregations.
