11 graduate from Long Distance Dads

Special to the T-H

May 09, 2008 09:23 pm

— On Thursday evening, the Daviess County Sheriff’s Department held its second Long Distance Dads graduation ceremony at the security center. Eleven completed the 12-week course for incarcerated fathers.
The Long Distance Dads curriculum consists of lessons on developing positive parent-child relationships, which are based on involvement, consistency, awareness and nuturance.
“(The class) showed me even while I’m away from my family, I can still be a father too,” said graduate Jeremy Payton. “Past experiences don’t determine the future.”
“I learned being a dad is more special than anything,” added graduate James Coy. “Everything we do effects our kids.”
Another graduate, Shawn Nash, said the class helped him address some issues he didn’t want to address before.
Graduate Clayton Alford said the class helped him learned to be a better parent by praising his children and not always looking for the negative. His children, Cassidy, 2, and Cameron, 3, came with his fiance, Linda Wilson, to visit during the graduation ceremony Thursday night.
About 15 to 20 children total came to visit their fathers and enjoy a picnic and games in the security center’s recreation area.
Long Distance Dads is a father’s re-entry program that provides practical and innovative ways to help overcome the physical and psychological challenges that incarcerated fathers face while incarcerated and after release.
Because over 96 percent of all prisoners will be released someday (more than 650,000 this year alone), this preparation for release is vital. History shows that 66 percent of these prisoners will return within three years. Those prisoners who have strong connections to family, however, are far more likely to embrace freedom and have a crime-free future.
Emily Kramer, who instructs the course at Wabash Valley Correctional Facility in Carlisle, offered to facilitate the course for inmates in Daviess County. Kramer resides in Washington and is a family support specialist for healthy families in Daviess and Martin counties.
Kramer said that involvement with the inmates in this course inspires her to be a better parents for her children. She believes in the potential for the inmates to positively re-enter the community and become not only productive citizens, but great dads as well.

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