Here’s a sobering statistic: close to  9% of  California children have a parent in prison, jail or on probation. More than half of these parents are incarcerated more than 100 miles from their children, so it is not surprising that stats show that more than half of the children with parents in jail never see them during their incarceration.

Get on the Bus, a program administered by The Center for Restorative Justice Works, reunites children with their parents. Once a year, around Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, Get on the Bus loads up children and their guardians/caregivers through California and takes them to visit their parents in prison. Each child is given a travel bag, a photo with his or her parent and the day’s meal. Plus, the parent being visited is given a teddy bear to give to his or her child, along with a letter for the child to read on the way home. The Center also provides post-event counseling for the children. 

The Minnesota Department of Corrections put out a study that shows visitation for prisoners reduces recidivism. It’s a win-win for the kids and the parents. 

Today’s $10 goes to Get on The Bus, one of the favorite organizations I’ve written about so far. 

April 14: Get on the Bus

Why I started this blog.

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