By Rita Price
The Columbus Dispatch
COLUMBUS, Ohio — When parents go to prison, their children are sentenced to life without mothers or fathers.
“It’s a huge loss,” said Jennifer Voit, a vice president at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio. “For the kids, it can be similar to a death in the family.”
Central Ohio and other Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies throughout the state say they soon will be able to help more of the estimated 56,000 Ohio children who have a parent in prison.
A $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will allow the groups’ prison-mentoring program to expand, providing mentors for an additional 433 children over the next year. The money also will be used to continue support for 476 Ohio children of prisoners who already have been matched with mentors through the statewide collaboration known as Big Brothers Big Sisters Amachi Ohio.
The grant, which could be continued for a total of three years, reflects growing national concern about how having a parent in prison affects children.
The previous federal money that flowed to the Ohio project was about half as much: $750,000 first received in 2006, Voit said. If the new grant is renewed, the agencies should be able to serve 1,500 more children in the three-year period.
“We’re really excited,” Voit said. “It’s a population that the federal government has really turned attention to.”
State prison officials said the grant is good news for families.
“We understand the challenges that an offender’s family faces during a period of incarceration, and those challenges are oftentimes significant for the children,” said JoEllen Smith, spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction. “We are pleased to know that this mentoring programming will be extended to many more children who can benefit from the service.”
The agencies don’t pay their volunteers, but they will use the money for such needs as recruitment, training and background checks.
Mary Palkowski, spokeswoman for the central Ohio agency, said staff members will be involved in the relationship between mentor and child, providing coaching and support as necessary.
Children with imprisoned parents face many hurdles, the agencies say.
“There’s a lot of transition that occurs,” Voit said. “They’re often living with relatives, and they might be in many different homes in a short period.”
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