Family Life Behind Bars » Columns

Maintaining healthy boundaries

Sandeep Junnarkar — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 08:03:34 +0000

A child can struggle to create and maintain healthy boundaries with his or her incarcerated parent.

Watch this video for some advice from someone who’s lived through this stress: Remember, you can be there, but you can’t live someone else’s life, not even for a loved one.

Video column: Advice to help ill relative in prison

Sandeep Junnarkar — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 12:02:37 +0000

This weeks column focuses on what to do if a loved one is dying in prison. I have provided some resources regarding medical release and grief counseling for families facing this sad situation. If you or someone you know is affected by this issue, the resources included in the video column are:

Prison Families of New York

The National Prison Hospice Association

If you are a child of someone who is incarcerated and you have a question for me, you have three options:

Post a question in the comments section below,
Send an email to questions@livesinfocus.org,
Call (646) 867-1891 to leave a message.

I also welcome questions from others who might simply be interested in knowing more about how the life of children is affected when a parent is incarcerated.

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS: Have you turned to support groups and how did that help you through this time in your life?

[Use the comments feature below or call (646) 867-1891 to leave an audio message.]

Makeba: Getting reacquainted with a parent

Sandeep Junnarkar — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 05:01:02 +0000

Russian sailor Vitaly Bondarenko, right, hugs his children as his wife Marina Ordynskaia looks on, after being released by the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services Thursday, Oct. 23, 2003, in Providence, R.I.

This week’s column focuses on the issue of reunification. Getting reacquainted with a parent can be daunting at any age. Add the pressure and stigma of a reunion post incarceration, and the effects can be overwhelming and particularly stressful. These tips can hopefully start someone facing this situation on the path to a healthy relationship.

Click on the player above or download this video here. (iPhone version)

If you are a child of someone who is incarcerated and you have a question for me, you have three options:

Post a question in the comments section below,
Send an email to questions@livesinfocus.org,
Call (646) 867-1891 to leave a message.

I also welcome questions from others who might simply be interested in knowing more about how the life of children is affected when a parent is incarcerated.

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS: Have you turned to support groups and how did that help you through this time in your life?

[Use the comments feature below or call (646) 867-1891 to leave an audio message.]

Update: Part time job opening

Sandeep Junnarkar — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:53:15 +0000

For Illustrative purposes only.

[Update: We have received such a large quantity of applications from people of various backgrounds. We are going through them and will try to get in touch with people shortly. Thank you for sharing your lives and for your interest in helping this publication.]

Have you had a family member spend time in prison?

Family Life Behind Bars is seeking two columnists who can produce a twice-monthly video about his or her experience and provide guidance for others in a similar situation.

No prior video experience or equipment is required. The videos would be about 2-3 minutes long. This part time position will not be sufficient to support yourself, but will provide a little extra spending money.

Click here to see some of our prior columns.

To apply for this position, please send a short email to info@livesinfocus.org describing your personal experience and how it affected your life. Also let me know what ideas you have for a column.

Makeba: Support groups

Sandeep Junnarkar — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 05:02:50 +0000

A member of the Fortune Society, a non-profit that helps inmates adjust to life outside, leads a group counseling session in New York in 2009.

Trinity, a member of the Family Life Behind Bars community, posed this question:

My mother was just sentenced to 3-9 years for second degree grand larceny. I am a mom of two teenagers. Life seems so unfair. The pain and worry are almost to much to bare. I am wondering if anyone knows if there is any other way to get money on a commisary account other then by mail or dropping it off? Are there any support groups for families of the prisoners? What services are available to inmates? Is there a website for Bedford Hills Correctional Facility?

I decided to answer those questions this week in my monthly video column:

Click on the player above or download this video here. (iPhone version)
If you are a child of someone who is incarcerated and you have a question for me, you have three options:

Post a question in the comments section below,
Send an email to questions@livesinfocus.org,
Call (646) 867-1891 to leave a message.

I also welcome questions from others who might simply be interested in knowing more about how the life of children is affected when a parent is incarcerated.

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS: Have you turned to support groups and how did that help you through this time in your life?

[Use the comments feature below or call (646) 867-1891 to leave an audio message.]

Davian: Making the best of the Holiday Season

Sandeep Junnarkar — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 05:01:10 +0000

A Christmas wreath hangs on the gate of a dorm for foreign prisoners in a prison in China.

Davian Reynolds, our 16-year-old video columnist from Brooklyn, NY describes how he dealt with the separation from his mother during holiday season while she was in prison.

Family Life Behind Bars previously interviewed Dr. Harland Kessaris, a psychologist who specializes in re-entry of incarcerated individuals back into family and society, who provided some insight on how to cope with the absence of a loved one during the holiday season.

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS: What tips do you have to deal with separation during the holiday seasons?

[Use the comments feature below or call (646) 867-1891 to leave an audio message.]

Click on the player above or download this video here. (iPhone cellular version)

Emani: Healthcare for elderly parents in prison

Carl Winfield — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 05:00:27 +0000

(Link to mp3)

In this audio column, Emani Davis, the director of Project Family Connect and the daughter of an incarcerated man, talks about her father’s declining health and the threat of losing him after 24 years spent waiting for his release.

If you are someone who has a family member who is incarcerated and you have a question for me, you have three options:

Post a question in the comments section below,
Send an email to questions@livesinfocus.org,
Call (646) 867-1891 to leave a message.

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS: Should elderly and sick prisoners be released from prison to spend their remaining years with their families?

Do you have a sick relative in prison? How are you trying to help them?

[Use the comments feature below or call (646) 867-1891 to leave an audio message.]

Makeba: The Obama presidency

Sandeep Junnarkar — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 10:32:41 +0000

President-elect Barack Obama waves from the back of the train at the 30th Street Station in Philadelphia as he embarks on his inaugural whistle stop train trip to Washington, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2009.

As president-elect Barack Obama prepares for his presidency, Makeba reflects on what his leadership might be for people affected by incarceration.

If you are a child of someone who is incarcerated and you have a question for me, you have three options:

Post a question in the comments section below,
Send an email to questions@livesinfocus.org,
Call (646) 867-1891 to leave a message.

I also welcome questions from others who might simply be interested in knowing more about how the life of children is affected when a parent is incarcerated.

Click on the player above or download this video here. (iPhone version)

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS: How has your parent’s incarceration affected your interest in staying in school?

[Use the comments feature below or call (646) 867-1891 to leave an audio message.]

Davian: Why Obama’s victory is a victory for children of the incarcerated

Sandeep Junnarkar — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 05:00:02 +0000

President Barack Obama, first lady Michelle, and daughters Malia and Sasha wave to the crowd after his inaugural address Jan. 20, 2009, on the west steps of the U.S. Capitol.

In this video column, Davian Reynolds, our 16-year-old video columnist from Brooklyn, reflects on why Barack Obama’s victory in the 2008 presidential election means so much for kids like him who have or have had or might wind up having a parent who is incarcerated.

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS: How do you think President-elect Obama will affect the way you see yourself as a child of an incarcerated parent?

[Use the comments feature below or call (646) 867-1891 to leave an audio message.]

Click on the player above or download this video here. (iPhone cellular version)

Emani: Stigma through a child’s eyes

Carl Winfield — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 04:00:40 +0000

Five-year-old Anthony Martinez opens a package of children's books and a tape made by his mother who is serving time in the Denver County Jail.

Stigma

(Link to mp3)

In this video column, Emani Davis, the director of Project Family Connect and the daughter of an incarcerated man, talks about the stigma that she experienced as the child of an incarcerated parent and her desire to address the specific needs of this group.

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS: How has having an incarcerated parent affected the way you see yourself?

[Use the comments feature below or call (646)-867-1891 to leave an audio message.]