There are groundbreaking programs around the world aiming to help fathers behind bars.
The Family Intervention Unit at HMP Parc in Wales is a 60-bed wing housing only fathers.
Each of these cells has a mission statement written on the outside, describing why they chose to come to this unit.
One of the man’s mission statements is to “have a closer relationship with my kids”.
A range of courses are provided to those in the unit, including parenting skills, pre and post-natal advice, baby bathing lessons and homework clubs with their children.
All of the fathers in the unit must cook and clean for themselves.
Those who have been housed at the fathers’ only unit have been found to have a lower recidivism rate than the general prison population in the United Kingdom.
There are similar units at a number of prisons in the Netherlands, known as Fathers’ Wings.
These areas of the prisons are specifically for fathers, and include family rooms that aim to make the experience for children visiting their fathers more welcoming and less intimidating.
The first Fathers’ Wing opened in the Netherlands in 2018, and the third unit launched in recent years.
The men in these units receive father-specific training, with a range of courses focusing on preparing them to resume their role as fathers.
The Fathers’ Wings also feature a family room where dads can do homework with their kids, and where they can video call them at other times.
Part of the purpose of these specific units is to allow fathers to be around other fathers, with an aim of creating a more parental-focused environment with more freedom to reveal a vulnerable side.
These programs show that change is possible, and that efforts are being made to focus on fathers behind bars and their children on the outside.
In Canada, the HERO (Helping Everyone Realise Opportunities) Dad program has been running for nearly a decade, and now operates in 19 prisons.
It begins with an eight-week parenting course, followed by Dad Groups, where fathers meet regularly to talk about the shared experiences of being parents.
The organisation also offers one-on-one phone sessions, and Dad Groups on the outside for those who are released.
The first Fathers’ Wing opened in the Netherlands in 2018, and the third unit launched in recent years.
The men in these units receive father-specific training, with a range of courses focusing on preparing them to resume their role as fathers.
The Fathers’ Wings also feature a family room where dads can do homework with their kids, and where they can video call them at other times.
Part of the purpose of these specific units is to allow fathers to be around other fathers, with an aim of creating a more parental-focused environment with more freedom to reveal a vulnerable side.
These programs show that change is possible, and that efforts are being made to focus on fathers behind bars and their children on the outside.
In Canada, the HERO (Helping Everyone Realise Opportunities) Dad program has been running for nearly a decade, and now operates in 19 prisons.
It begins with an eight-week parenting course, followed by Dad Groups, where fathers meet regularly to talk about the shared experiences of being parents.
The organisation also offers one-on-one phone sessions, and Dad Groups on the outside for those who are released.
