Storybook Dads: StoryBooks with Inmates and their Children
Storybook dads or storybook fathers is a reading program in prisons that helps fathers in prison keep in touch with their children.
Storybook Dads: Storybook Dads Make Storybooks to Send to Their Children
By Esther Haasnoot
The stories of inmates and their children
There are 82,305 men in prison in the UK, but it is not just those behind bars which are forced to serve sentences for absence from their families. These men are the father of an estimated 200,000 children. With a limited number of phone calls and close supervision, bonding with their children as they grow up is a vast – and tremendously emotional – challenge.
“The children are important, and I think they are often forgotten.”
Children of Prisoners did not Commit a Crime
Every year in the UK, 200,000 children experience a parent’s imprisonment. It often leads to shame, guilt, and isolation, resulting in difficulties at school. Besides, these children are more prone to psychological problems than their peers.
The children who have a parent in prison are stigmatized and bullied. This triples the chance that they will engage in antisocial behavior themselves.
Storybook dads’ keeps prisoners and children connected
Fortunately, some people have an eye for these children. Storybook Dads is an initiative that started in 2002 in Devon, UK, to bring prisoners in contact with their children by telling stories. It is a simple idea; the convicted parent’s voice is recorded while they read their child a bedtime story, the CD or DVD is then sent to the child.
Groups of up to eight prisoners work for 12 days in pairs to write, illustrate and record their stories, assisted by skilled professional artists. In addition to making audio CDs, they make DVDs, help prisoners train in editing and audio, and offer prisoners workshops to create educational gifts for their children.
Healing and transformation reducing the risk of recidivism
These stories are a lifeline for many families, helping to heal cracks and build vital family relationships. It shows the children that they are loved and missed, it gives them comfort because they can hear or see their parents when needed, and it helps them develop an interest in books and reading. This increases their chances of success at school and significantly improves their social and learning outcomes. It allows prisoners to feel connected to their families, valued as parents and allows them to have a positive influence on their children’s lives.
Today, the program helps prisoners from across the UK, including women’s prisons and juvenile delinquent institutions. In women’s institutions, the project operates under the name Storybook mums.
The project is not without challenges – from security issues to staff, but the rewards are worth the effort. Helping prisoners to stay in touch with their families can be a way to reduce recidivism rates. A government-commissioned study was made on the link between prisoners’ family ties and recidivism. The Study found out that inmates who receive visits from family members are 39 percent less likely to recur than those who do not. “Healthy relationships” are fundamental to helping people change for the better.
“They don’t treat us like criminals: it really affects me. They haven’t given up on us – they realize we’re still people. Global Heart
“Storybook dads” has inspired similar programs in other countries such as the United States, Canada, Australia, Denmark, Hungary, Poland, and New Zealand.
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About the Author
Esther Haasnoot is an intuitive and a healer. She is also the initiator of Global Heart Magazine, where she encourages and inspires towards a conscious, healthy, harmonious, sustainable, and loving society. To create an uplifting and positive future for all of us.
