Information about services offered for family members, loved ones, & friends. These services are in no way affiliated with the creators of this site. This is simply a list of some available resources offered throughout the community that have been gathered through internet searches.
Note* The following is in accordance with the California Judicial System. Thus, information may vary from state to state. The information provided in this section is for educational purposes only and should not be taken as formal legal advice. Listing these resources here should not be interpreted as an endorsement of any of them. Therefore, these are some resources you might want to check out.
Support Groups
- Family of Prisoners http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/families_of_prisoners/info
- Support for Inmates and Their Families http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/04_Support_For_Inmates_N_Their_Family/info
- Meetup.com Groups www.meetup.com/topics/families-with-incarcerated-loved-ones/
- Families of Prisoners Online Support group www.dailystrength.org/group/families-of-prisoners
- Prison Wives Club Prison Wives Club Facebook Page
- Wives of Inmates Wives of Inmates Facebook Page
- Support Group for Families of Incarcerated Loved Ones Support Group Link
- Prisoners Wives, Girlfriends, and Partners Organization http://pwgp.org
- The National Resource Center on Children and Families of the Incarcerated at Family & Corrections Network http://fcnetwork.org
- Prison Talk: Online Support Groups and Information www.prisontalk.com/
- Southern California Saddleback Church Support group saddleback.com/care/supportgroup/families-with-incarcerated-loved-ones/lake-forest
- Families of Incarcerated Loved Ones: Facebook Group www.facebook.com/M.I.K.I.MINISTRY/
Hotlines
- National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233
- National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673
- Orange County Narcotics Anonymous helpline: 714-590-2388
- Orange County Alcoholics Anonymous helpline: 714-556-4555
- Orange County Probation Department, Youth Guidance Center: 714-836-2700
Books
www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss/138-0175149-8470370?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=families+of+incarcerated+persons
Families of people in prison can request books for their loved ones by filling out and mailing this form.
https://prisonbookprogram.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/website-request-form.pdf
They will need to provide the prisoner’s full name, ID, address, and three types of books they might enjoy. It takes the Prison Book Program up to 3-6 months to fill each request. The books are a free gift that prisoners can keep.
There is also a resource list that families can use or mail to their loved ones.
https://prisonbookprogram.org/resources/national-prisoner-resource-list/
www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss/138-0175149-8470370?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=families+of+incarcerated+persons
Families of people in prison can request books for their loved ones by filling out and mailing this form.
https://prisonbookprogram.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/website-request-form.pdf
They will need to provide the prisoner’s full name, ID, address, and three types of books they might enjoy. It takes the Prison Book Program up to 3-6 months to fill each request. The books are a free gift that prisoners can keep.
There is also a resource list that families can use or mail to their loved ones.
https://prisonbookprogram.org/resources/national-prisoner-resource-list/
Psychological Services
o Expressive Skill- how to uncover thoughts, wishes, and feeligs and express them in a way that is least likely to produce defensiveness
o Discussion/Negotiation Skill- how to skillfully carry on a discussion while avoiding disgressions to irrelevant topics
o Problem/Conflict Resolution Skill- how to devise solutions to problems that come as closely as possible to meeting everyone's needs
o Self-Change Skill- how to modify specfic attitudes or behaviors in a way that is most likely to produce positive resutls
o Other-Change Skill- how to assist others in changing specific atitudes orhbehaviors in a way that is helpful and encouraging
o Facilitation Skill- how to continue use of the RE skills that were learned in intimate interactions following the completion of the workshop
o Generalization Skill- how to use the RE skills in interpersonal relationships outside of the marriage to bring about improvement in them
o Maintenance Skill- how to continue using the RE skills on a regular basis to prevent deterioration in their skill level
- Local Individual/Family Therapists
- Mental Health Services in Riverside County: 1-800-706-7500
- Mental Health Services in Orange County
- North Region: (serving Anaheim, Atwood, Brea, Buena Park, Fullerton, Garden Grove, La Habra, Placentia & Yorba Linda) 714-517-6300
- South Region: (Serving: Aliso Viejo, Balboa, Capistrano Beach, Corona del Mar, Dana Point, Laguna Beach, Laguna Hills, Laguna Niguel, Lake Forest, Mission Viejo, Newport Beach, Rancho Santa Margarita, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano) 949-454-3940
- East Region: (Serving: Costa Mesa, El Modena, Irvine, Lemon Heights, Newport Beach, Orange, Santa Ana, Tustin and Villa Park)
- West Region:(Serving: Cypress, Fountain Valley, Huntington Beach, Los Alamitos, Midway City, Seal Beach, Stanton, Sunset Beach and Westminster) 714-896-7566
- Relationship Enhancement Program (Accordino & Guerney Jr, 1998) teaches:
o Expressive Skill- how to uncover thoughts, wishes, and feeligs and express them in a way that is least likely to produce defensiveness
o Discussion/Negotiation Skill- how to skillfully carry on a discussion while avoiding disgressions to irrelevant topics
o Problem/Conflict Resolution Skill- how to devise solutions to problems that come as closely as possible to meeting everyone's needs
o Self-Change Skill- how to modify specfic attitudes or behaviors in a way that is most likely to produce positive resutls
o Other-Change Skill- how to assist others in changing specific atitudes orhbehaviors in a way that is helpful and encouraging
o Facilitation Skill- how to continue use of the RE skills that were learned in intimate interactions following the completion of the workshop
o Generalization Skill- how to use the RE skills in interpersonal relationships outside of the marriage to bring about improvement in them
o Maintenance Skill- how to continue using the RE skills on a regular basis to prevent deterioration in their skill level
Other Services
Extended Families- a support system for families of prisoners
Extended Family is a 501(c)3 non-profit support system for families of prisoners.
Our Purpose: To teach families of prisoners to successfully adjust to a new way of life. Our Mission: To offer help and inspire hope.
Our Motto: "We don't have to do their time."
www.extendedfamilyhelp.org/
Prison Fellowship Support for Friends and Families of Incarcerated Persons
Christian Based Support
www.prisonfellowship.org/resources/support-friends-family-of-prisoners/
Assisting Families of Inmates
The mission of Assisting Families of Inmates is to provide opportunities for regular, meaningful visitation, referrals to community resources, and other services that help families cope with incarceration and prepare for release and reunification. We strive to prevent the breakdown of relationships among inmates and their families by providing regular, meaningful visitation, support, referrals and education services.
1 North Fifth Street
Suite 416
Richmond, Virginia 23219
afoi.org/
Texas Inmate Families Association
TIFA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit. Our mission is to break the cycle of crime by strengthening families through support, education, and advocacy. TIFA also provides parole workshops as well as online resources for our members.
tifa.org/
Child Welfare Services
incarceration; highlights practices to facilitate parent-child visits during incarceration, include parents in case planning, and work toward reunification; and points to resources to help caseworkers in their practice with these children and families.
www.childwelfare.gov/topics/supporting/support-services/prisoners/
Calicinto Ranch
Calicinto Mountains has collaborated with Prison Fellowship Ministries and has become known as an official campsite for Angel Tree Camping. The Ranch is located in the foothills of the beautiful San Jacinto and hosts children who have an incarcerated parent. Children get to experience a life-changing week of camping at no cost to them or their families.
www.calicintoranch.org
Postal Box 1225
San Jacinto, CA 92581 (951) 654-6838 Direct (951) 487-1105 fax [email protected]
Centerforce LIFE Project
The Leaders in Future Environments (LIFE) Project provide one-on-one mentoring, annual retreats, and monthlygroupactivitiesforteenagers throughout the San Francisco Bay Area who have had a parent involved in the criminal justice system. The project aims to break intergenerational cycles of crime by providing ongoing support and positive role modeling.
San Francisco Bay Area 2955 Kerner Blvd. 2nd Floor San Rafael, CA 94901 (415) 456-9980 ext. 117 [email protected]
Kairos Outside Retreats
Kairos Outside is designed to support the families of men and women who are or have been incarcerated in the country's state and federal correctional facilities, as well as county jails and youth offender programs. This support is first provided in a safe environment with Christian people during a Kairos Outside weekend. strength in their life's journey.
www.kairosprisonministry.org
Jo Chatman
(407) 629-4948
Fax: (407) 629-2668
Grandparents as Parents
Mission is to provide programs and services that meet the urgent and ongoing needs of grandparents and other relatives raising at-risk children. Support programs include emergency referrals for food, housing and other essentials; crisis counseling, intervention and support groups; workshops and educational programs; advocacy on behalf of caregiver families to schools, doctors and the legal system; community outreach programs, respite care; and advocating with, and educating, government officials and institutions about the rights and concerns of caregiver-headed families.
Sylvia De Toledo
22048 Sherman Way, Ste 217 Canoga Park, CA 91303
(818) 264-0880 [email protected]
Get on the Bus
Get On The Bus brings children and their caregivers from throughout the state of California to visit their mothers & fathers in prison.
An annual event, Get On The Bus offers free transportation for the children and their caregivers to the prison. Each child is provided a travel bag, a photo with his or her parent, and meals for the day (breakfast, snacks, lunch at the prison, and dinner). On the trip home, a teddy bear with a letter from their parent and post-event counseling.
Get On The Bus 6400 Laurel Canyon Blvd. Suite 304 North Hollywood, CA 91606
Prisoner’s Family & Friends United
(PFFUnited) is an on-line membership resource and support project of Community Solutions, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded in 2003 to uniquely serve the prison family. The PFFUnited project is an extension of the organization’s National Prisoner’s Family Conference, providing honest valuable information, practical services, advocacy and support for those facing the challenges of the prison family journey.
PFFUnited Mission:
It is the mission of Prisoner’s Family & Friends United to strengthen community by strengthening the prisoner’s family and friends through relevant resources, meaningful emotional support, practical services and advocacy that empowers those with the greatest potential to effectively support the prisoner throughout incarceration, community re-entry and family reunification thereby reducing prisoner recidivism.
Vision:
The vision of PFFUnited is to offer a comfortable forum for strengthening the Partners on the Prisoner’s Support Team through comprehensive useful information and effective services to help alleviate the emotional stressors typically associated with becoming a prison family. Our greatest objectives include strengthening relationships; promoting healthy reunification and reducing recidivism risk factors.
Initiated in May 2012, PFFUnited is administered by professional and lay persons who have been profoundly affected by the criminal justice and prison systems, including current and former prisoners and their family members who hope that in sharing what they have learned through their experiences others will be empowered to safely and productively navigate what is most often a traumatic and confusing life experience.
Extended Families- a support system for families of prisoners
Extended Family is a 501(c)3 non-profit support system for families of prisoners.
Our Purpose: To teach families of prisoners to successfully adjust to a new way of life. Our Mission: To offer help and inspire hope.
Our Motto: "We don't have to do their time."
www.extendedfamilyhelp.org/
Prison Fellowship Support for Friends and Families of Incarcerated Persons
Christian Based Support
www.prisonfellowship.org/resources/support-friends-family-of-prisoners/
Assisting Families of Inmates
The mission of Assisting Families of Inmates is to provide opportunities for regular, meaningful visitation, referrals to community resources, and other services that help families cope with incarceration and prepare for release and reunification. We strive to prevent the breakdown of relationships among inmates and their families by providing regular, meaningful visitation, support, referrals and education services.
1 North Fifth Street
Suite 416
Richmond, Virginia 23219
afoi.org/
Texas Inmate Families Association
TIFA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit. Our mission is to break the cycle of crime by strengthening families through support, education, and advocacy. TIFA also provides parole workshops as well as online resources for our members.
tifa.org/
Child Welfare Services
incarceration; highlights practices to facilitate parent-child visits during incarceration, include parents in case planning, and work toward reunification; and points to resources to help caseworkers in their practice with these children and families.
www.childwelfare.gov/topics/supporting/support-services/prisoners/
Calicinto Ranch
Calicinto Mountains has collaborated with Prison Fellowship Ministries and has become known as an official campsite for Angel Tree Camping. The Ranch is located in the foothills of the beautiful San Jacinto and hosts children who have an incarcerated parent. Children get to experience a life-changing week of camping at no cost to them or their families.
www.calicintoranch.org
Postal Box 1225
San Jacinto, CA 92581 (951) 654-6838 Direct (951) 487-1105 fax [email protected]
Centerforce LIFE Project
The Leaders in Future Environments (LIFE) Project provide one-on-one mentoring, annual retreats, and monthlygroupactivitiesforteenagers throughout the San Francisco Bay Area who have had a parent involved in the criminal justice system. The project aims to break intergenerational cycles of crime by providing ongoing support and positive role modeling.
San Francisco Bay Area 2955 Kerner Blvd. 2nd Floor San Rafael, CA 94901 (415) 456-9980 ext. 117 [email protected]
Kairos Outside Retreats
Kairos Outside is designed to support the families of men and women who are or have been incarcerated in the country's state and federal correctional facilities, as well as county jails and youth offender programs. This support is first provided in a safe environment with Christian people during a Kairos Outside weekend. strength in their life's journey.
www.kairosprisonministry.org
Jo Chatman
(407) 629-4948
Fax: (407) 629-2668
Grandparents as Parents
Mission is to provide programs and services that meet the urgent and ongoing needs of grandparents and other relatives raising at-risk children. Support programs include emergency referrals for food, housing and other essentials; crisis counseling, intervention and support groups; workshops and educational programs; advocacy on behalf of caregiver families to schools, doctors and the legal system; community outreach programs, respite care; and advocating with, and educating, government officials and institutions about the rights and concerns of caregiver-headed families.
Sylvia De Toledo
22048 Sherman Way, Ste 217 Canoga Park, CA 91303
(818) 264-0880 [email protected]
Get on the Bus
Get On The Bus brings children and their caregivers from throughout the state of California to visit their mothers & fathers in prison.
An annual event, Get On The Bus offers free transportation for the children and their caregivers to the prison. Each child is provided a travel bag, a photo with his or her parent, and meals for the day (breakfast, snacks, lunch at the prison, and dinner). On the trip home, a teddy bear with a letter from their parent and post-event counseling.
Get On The Bus 6400 Laurel Canyon Blvd. Suite 304 North Hollywood, CA 91606
Prisoner’s Family & Friends United
(PFFUnited) is an on-line membership resource and support project of Community Solutions, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded in 2003 to uniquely serve the prison family. The PFFUnited project is an extension of the organization’s National Prisoner’s Family Conference, providing honest valuable information, practical services, advocacy and support for those facing the challenges of the prison family journey.
PFFUnited Mission:
It is the mission of Prisoner’s Family & Friends United to strengthen community by strengthening the prisoner’s family and friends through relevant resources, meaningful emotional support, practical services and advocacy that empowers those with the greatest potential to effectively support the prisoner throughout incarceration, community re-entry and family reunification thereby reducing prisoner recidivism.
Vision:
The vision of PFFUnited is to offer a comfortable forum for strengthening the Partners on the Prisoner’s Support Team through comprehensive useful information and effective services to help alleviate the emotional stressors typically associated with becoming a prison family. Our greatest objectives include strengthening relationships; promoting healthy reunification and reducing recidivism risk factors.
Initiated in May 2012, PFFUnited is administered by professional and lay persons who have been profoundly affected by the criminal justice and prison systems, including current and former prisoners and their family members who hope that in sharing what they have learned through their experiences others will be empowered to safely and productively navigate what is most often a traumatic and confusing life experience.
Prison Family Bill of Rights A Coalition of prison family members and representatives of secular and faith based organizations serving prison families from across the United States in attendance at the 2012 National Prisoner’s Family Conference drafted the Prison Family Bill of Rights and the Bill was affirmed and adopted by attendees at the 2013 conference, as follows:
The Prison Family* has the right to be treated with respect and dignity by any and all representatives of the prison system at all times.
The Prison Family has the right to expect and be assured the utmost care is established and maintained to provide a healthy and safe living environment that promotes effective rehabilitation, reintegration and parole planning throughout a loved one’s incarceration.
The Prison Family has the right to be treated and integrated as a positive resource in the process of rehabilitation and reintegration preparation and parole planning of an incarcerated loved one.
The Prison Family has the right to receive consistency in the enforcement of rules; regulations and policies affecting a loved one’s incarceration.
The Prison Family has the right to receive consistency in the enforcement of rules; regulations and/or policies affecting visitation and/or all forms of communication with an incarcerated loved one.
The Prison Family has the right to be informed in a timely, clear, forthright and respectful manner of any changes in rules; regulations and/or policies affecting visitation and/or communication with an incarcerated loved one.
The Prison Family has the right to be informed within 24 hours and in a compassionate manner regarding the illness; injury and/or death of an incarcerated loved one.
The Prison Family has the right to extended visitation during the hospitalization of an incarcerated loved one.
The Prison Family has the right to be informed within 24 hours of the security status change and/or transfer of an incarcerated loved one to a new facility.
The Prison Family has the right to be provided specific written and evidence-based reasons for a loved one’s security status change; clemency denial and/or parole denial.
The Prison Family has the right to have their incarcerated loved one housed within a distance from their permanent address that provides reasonable access for visitation and/or to facilitate serving as a resource in the rehabilitation and reintegration preparation and parole planning of their incarcerated loved one.
The Prison Family has the right to be provided the current specific name or names and direct phone numbers of prison officials to contact for questions about their incarcerated loved one.
* The term “Prison Family” is herein defined as including, but not limited to a blood or adopted relation, spouse, domestic partner and/or trusted friend designated by an incarcerated person upon or during a period of confinement as one who will serve as an outside contact on his or her behalf for the relaying of any communication regarding the medical and mental health, security status and location of the incarcerated person and/or for making critical decisions on behalf of the incarcerated person in the event of his or her incapacitation.
The Prison Family* has the right to be treated with respect and dignity by any and all representatives of the prison system at all times.
The Prison Family has the right to expect and be assured the utmost care is established and maintained to provide a healthy and safe living environment that promotes effective rehabilitation, reintegration and parole planning throughout a loved one’s incarceration.
The Prison Family has the right to be treated and integrated as a positive resource in the process of rehabilitation and reintegration preparation and parole planning of an incarcerated loved one.
The Prison Family has the right to receive consistency in the enforcement of rules; regulations and policies affecting a loved one’s incarceration.
The Prison Family has the right to receive consistency in the enforcement of rules; regulations and/or policies affecting visitation and/or all forms of communication with an incarcerated loved one.
The Prison Family has the right to be informed in a timely, clear, forthright and respectful manner of any changes in rules; regulations and/or policies affecting visitation and/or communication with an incarcerated loved one.
The Prison Family has the right to be informed within 24 hours and in a compassionate manner regarding the illness; injury and/or death of an incarcerated loved one.
The Prison Family has the right to extended visitation during the hospitalization of an incarcerated loved one.
The Prison Family has the right to be informed within 24 hours of the security status change and/or transfer of an incarcerated loved one to a new facility.
The Prison Family has the right to be provided specific written and evidence-based reasons for a loved one’s security status change; clemency denial and/or parole denial.
The Prison Family has the right to have their incarcerated loved one housed within a distance from their permanent address that provides reasonable access for visitation and/or to facilitate serving as a resource in the rehabilitation and reintegration preparation and parole planning of their incarcerated loved one.
The Prison Family has the right to be provided the current specific name or names and direct phone numbers of prison officials to contact for questions about their incarcerated loved one.
* The term “Prison Family” is herein defined as including, but not limited to a blood or adopted relation, spouse, domestic partner and/or trusted friend designated by an incarcerated person upon or during a period of confinement as one who will serve as an outside contact on his or her behalf for the relaying of any communication regarding the medical and mental health, security status and location of the incarcerated person and/or for making critical decisions on behalf of the incarcerated person in the event of his or her incapacitation.