Transcript Reversing the Cycle of Incarceration

Reversing the Cycle of Incarceration
Encouraging the Children of Incarcerated Parents to
pursue a Collegiate Education
 Picture from http://www.usprisonculture.com/
What Are the Facts?
Why Should we Be
Concerned?
Pie graph found on Boys &
Girl’s Club of Western
Nevada website:
http://mentor.wnc.edu/mc
p.php
Parent in prison by race
graph from the Bureau of
Justice via Chris Uggen
The American Bar Foundation's White House Conference
on the Effects of Parental Incarceration on Children
On August 20, 2013, the American Bar Foundation and the
National Science Foundation gathered national experts at the
White House to shine light on the collateral costs
of parental incarceration on children.
General Statistics
In D.C., 50% of high school students graduate, but only 15% of
those students attend college – U.S. Department of Education
More than one in every 100 adults in America are in jail or prison —
The Pew Charitable Trusts
Between 1995 and 2005, the number of incarcerated women in the
U.S. increased by 57% prisoners in 2005. – U.S. Department of
Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics
Sixty-three percent of federal prisoners and 55 percent of state
prisoners are parents of children under age 18. – U.S. Department
of Justice
The average stay in a foster care for a child with an incarcerated
parent is 3.9 years. – U.S. Department of Education
Approximately forty-six percent of jail inmates in 2002 had a
previously incarcerated family member. –
http://thefatherlessgeneration.wordpress.com/statistics/
General Statistics Cont.
Over 130,000 juveniles are detained in the US each year with
70,000 in detention on any given
Day -- Juvenile Incarceration, Human Capital and Future
Crime, Anna Aizer & Joseph Doyle, Jr. (June 5, 2013)
There is a disparate impact on families of color, with African
American children nine times more likely and Hispanic children
three times more likely than white children to have a parent in
prison -- U.S. Department of Justice
Parental incarceration creates additional challenges for children
and families often resulting in financial instability and material
hardship, with financial problems the most severe for already
vulnerable families and caregivers who support contact between
the incarcerated parent and his or her child. -- Parental
Incarceration in Fragile Families: Summary of Three Year
Findings
Georgia Statistics
 The Georgia Department of Education 2012 data that shows
that the Atlanta Public School Graduation rate has dropped to
50.87%, down from 51.96 in 2011.
 It has become increasingly harder to qualify for Georgia’s
lottery funded, merit-based college financial aid program.
Originally, any high school graduate with a B average would
receive a HOPE scholarship to cover college costs. Dec. 13,
2013 http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/education/2013-1230/ga-high-school-graduation-gets-more-complicated
 Now to earn HOPE “students have to earn a 3.0 average in their
core academic courses — including English, math and science.”
Every 8th grader must complete a high school plan and high
schoolers must take one of the following: Advanced Placement,
International Baccalaureate or dual enrollment college courses.
Dec. 13, 2013
http://chronicle.augusta.com/news/education/2013-12-30/gahigh-school-graduation-gets-more-complicated
Georgia Statistics Cont.
 The number of youth in Georgia’s juveniles justice
system has decreased in recent years. Between 2002
and 2011, the out-of-home adjudicated population
dropped from 2,973 to 1,917. Though the number of
youth declined in the system, cost remained high for
Georgia tax-payers. – The Pew Charitable Trusts
Georgia’s 2013 Juvenile Justice Reform
 You can read more about this reform program here:
http://www.pewstates.org/uploadedFiles/PCS/Co
ntentLevel_Pages/Reports/Georgia%202013%20Juven
ile%20Justice%20Reform%20Summary%20Brief
_July2013.pdf
If we don’t work to reverse this cycle,
our young people will be in danger of:
 Reduced chances of high school
completion and college completion
 Increased likelihood of adult
incarceration and recidivism
 Increased risk of growing up in poverty
or slightly above the poverty line
 Being an ex-offender provides many
more legal challenges beyond release
What Are the Resources
Available?
Books
Television/Blogs
Organizations (Federal/NGO)
For College Access Specifically…
What We Do
 Provide mentorship and college scholarships to high school
graduating seniors with a parent in prison who are pursuing
a college education (this includes vocational and trade
schools)
 Board members and volunteers serve as personal mentors
and career advisors to scholars
 High school seniors apply for the scholarship between
November to Feb/March. Followed by application review and
phone interviews. Scholarship ceremony in June
 Scholarships are renewable as long as scholars maintain a
2.0 or higher GPA
 Grand scholarship = $2,500. Book award $250
 2012 we awarded 8 scholars. In 2013 we renewed those
scholarships and awarded 6 new scholars.
Potential of this Organization
 Though still fairly new, this organization’s model has the
potential to financially assist and mentor thousands of
college students.
 We have the potential to be located and offer
scholarships and mentoring in every state.
 When young people feel supported emotionally,
financially and professionally they are more likely to
succeed and graduate college and less likely to recede
into the prison system or poverty.
How You Can Help
 Make Connections—If you know a person/s or an
organization that would be interested in
assisting/partnering with us based on the work that we
do, please share our information
([email protected]).
 Volunteer—You can volunteer to be a mentor or to host a
fundraiser; write about us on your blog, in your
magazine; invite us to your event, etc. Brainstorm how
you can bring ScholarCHIPS to your city/state.
 Donate—If you cannot make connections or volunteer, or
even if you can, please consider donating. $250 equals
one book award.
For more information please visit:
www.scholarchipsfund.com
and check us out on Facebook, Twitter and
Instagram
Questions?