Happy Father’s Day
Alfred Long

Happy Father’s Day

As we celebrate Father’s Day this Sunday, please remember our justice-involved father’s trapped either in prison or are on probation and parole.

I borrowed these statistics from the Nation Reentry Resurce Center; nationalresourcecententer.org.

“The number of fathers in U.S. jails and prisons has increased four-fold since 1980. Among the more than 800,000 parents in federal and state prisons, 92 percent are fathers. Each year, hundreds of thousands of prisoners are released from state and federal facilities, and many more are cycled through local jail facilities. Ninety percent of all inmates will be released and 70 percent are likely to come back to the community where they were arrested.

Prisoners who participate in employment, education, or substance abuse treatment programs are more likely to obtain employment and less likely to return to prison. Although family strengthening programs (such as parenting skills classes), are received by only an estimated 11 percent of fathers in state prisons), studies indicate these programs improve attitudes about the importance of fatherhood, increase parenting skills, and lead to more frequent contact between fathers and their children. Research also shows that relationship education can improve communication skills and that people who maintain family ties during incarceration fare better when released.

* Connecting reentering fathers with support from family and friends is key for avoiding recidivism (returning to prison) and helping them re-establish their lives”.

For the past two years, our ministry, Jacob’s Ladder Ministries, has conducted fatherhood training classes at the jails in the St.Louis and St. Charles Metro area.

In that time, we’ve had close to one hundred men graduate from our program

“24/7 Dad Key Behaviors Workshop”.

The program teaches key skills such as:

Self awareness

Self care

Fathering Skills

Parenting Skills

Relationship Skills

One thing we’ve learned is that most men want to be good fathers, they just don’t know how.

Men realize the havoc they have wreaked on their families and/or community by the pursuit of addictions of any kind; be it crime, drugs, alcohol, work, sex, gambling to name a few? 

A lot of the men want to break that cycle of pain. It will take strong support from families! 

Of all the resources available to men upon release, the most important is support and forgiveness from their families!

This Father’s Day, I appeal to everyone still suffering from the trauma of having a father incarcerated or still experiencing the trauma of Adverse Chidhood Experiences caused by their fathers addictions, ask God for the strength to forgive them.

And it can start by simply contacting them and saying, “Happy Father’s Day”!

Pastor Al is available to conduct workshops and trainings at your Church or organization.

Contact him at:

(314) 283-9052

along@jacobslm.com

jacobslm.com