Engaging, Supporting, and Advocating for Incarcerated Parents & Their Children

SEPTEMBER 2022 NACC MEMBER WEBINAR

Incarcerated parents and their children are at greater risk than parents who are not incarcerated of losing their relationship forever after the state initiates court proceedings. Incarcerated parents do matter and their ability to create, maintain, strengthen, and/or repair their relationship with their children during incarceration reduces harm to their children, improves child wellbeing in placement, and increases successful reentry and reunification of parents to community. Professionals working in this system have different roles but all can do better to uplift the parent’s voice in the court process; to engage early and actively with the incarcerated parent; to support their parent-child relationship, including the provision of remedial services, when needed; and to remove bias from decision-making in these cases that leads to unnecessary family separation. During this webinar, attendees will learn how legal practitioners and other decision-makers can change their outlook and advocacy when working with incarcerated parents.

Presenters:

Stacey Allen-Chavez, Reunified Parent

Cameron E. Buhl, JD, Managing Attorney, Infinitum Legal Counsel, P.S.

D’Adre Cunningham, JD, Resource Attorney, Incarcerated Parents Project, Washington Defender Association

Richard Pittman, JD, CWLS, Deputy Public Defender, Director of Juvenile Defender Services, Louisiana Public Defender Board

Stacey Allen-Chavez is a mother of two and was formerly an incarcerated individual at Washington Correction Center for Women. Stacey is currently working on being a prison advocate for incarcerated parents.