MAKING A DIFFERENCE : Keep Prison from Becoming a Family Affair : Pacific Oaks Center for Children of Incarcerated Parents

“The apple doesn’t fall from the tree,” the saying goes. When a child has a parent who has served time in jail or prison, that truism can point to an unfortunate end. Children of incarcerated parents are at higher risk than their peers of ending up behind bars.

The Pacific Oaks Center for Children of Incarcerated Parents in Pasadena was founded five years ago to work with families of offenders to reduce recidivism and prevent second-generation crime. With average annual support of $75,000 from the Weingart Foundation, other donors and government contracts, the center offers parenting classes, counsels children, helps reunite families after prison and educates public-school teachers about the trauma endured by children whose parents are imprisoned. The center also conducts research. More than 5,000 parents, children and teachers have participated in the center’s programs, which are offered through jails, prisons, schools and rehabilitation agencies.

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* Number of children in the United States with parents currently incarcerated, on parole or on probation: 5 million

* Number of children in California with a parent incarcerated: 200,000.

* Likelihood that a child in juvenile prison has a parent who has been incarcerated: 1 in 2

Source: Pacific Oaks Center for Children of Incarcerated Parents

How Children of Offenders Suffer

Center researchers approached teachers at two South-Central Los Angeles public schools in 1991 and asked them to point out children with severe behavioral problems. Almost 90% turned out to be children of offenders. In addition to experiencing behavioral difficulties, among this group of children:

* Only one in 11 had lived with the same caregiver since birth.

* One in nine had lost a parent or sibling to a violent death.

* One in four of the children’s mothers who had been incarcerated had lost their parental rights.

One Family’s Experience

Family: Rebecca Villalobos, 34 and her four children, age 4 to 17

Background: For most of the 1980s Villalobos was addicted to heroin and in and out of jail. Consequences of incarceration: Her children were placed in the legal guardianship of their paternal grandmother for eight years.

Response: After attending a residential drug treatment program in 1993, Villalobos took a Reclaiming Parenthood class offered by the center. The 16-session program, led by the center’s director, Dr. Denise Johnston, helps students to gain insight into their traumatized children behavior and emotions and leads them to a better understanding of their own often equally traumatized childhoods. Questions such as, “How old must your children be before you leave them alone in the house when you go to the corner grocery?” and “What fears and anxieties might a teen-ager have when his or her parent leaves the home for drug treatment?” are addressed in readings, workbook excercises, small groups and class discussions and a final exam. Results: Villalobos has regained custody of three of her children and works part-time at the center. Villalobos says, “It’s learning what we can change in ourselves to be a better parent. It’s important to tell your kids you love them, to express your feelings and tell them when they’re doing something wrong. Some of us weren’t taught that.”

TO GET INVOLVED: Call (818) 397-1378.

Researched by ANNE COLBY / Los Angeles Times