Kids spend the night with mom in jail? - Freeze-Frame Radio

Date: Wed Oct 12 13:06 2005

Kids spend the night with mom in jail?

Molly · The Mediator

I think day camps or the once a month sleepovers are healthy for a good inmate, and I think it should be extended to fathers as well. But at the same time, what happens if the inmate is no longer on good behavior? Children culd be used to smuggle objects into jail, and if the inmate is punished by not being able to see their child, how does that affect the child? I'm torn too. In a perfect world, it's a good idea, but if it were a perfect world, we wouldn't have prisons anyway.

JD The Jazz Doctor · Grand Poobah

I think it should depend on just how big of a scumbag the prisoner is.

Date: Wed Oct 12 13:15 2005

Yes, but those scumbags are parents- for better or worse JD.

Great point about if the good behavior changes Molly, that would be too much for the kid to handle I think!

Dylan · Leader Of The Banned

The kids would be punished along with the parents....the sins of the fathers takes on a literal bent...I think I can understand a parent feeling better knowing their kids are with them...but maybe part of the punishment should be seperation from the family. Maybe the kids would be better off with a relative as opposed to living with the parent before the incarceration.

Part of being a good parent means being a good example such as avoiding jail time.

Molly · The Mediator

But this article talked about once a month 24 hours stays, not living with them, just an extended visit. I think a child should know who their parents are, and even be able to see what happens when you do something wrong.

Dylan · Leader Of The Banned

I used to work for Coca Cola. One of my accounts was the Milwaukee House of Correction...This is a County Jail mainly for misdemeanor offenses and DUI's. I used to have about 45 minutes of business there every week and it usually took abour 4 hours to do because of the environment and security. It was also the scariest place I ever saw. Keep in mind this wasnt the hard core offenders either. Prison or even jail like this would not be a place I would want any child of mine. If I did it would be a selfish gesture.

confuzzed · Permanent State of Confusion

Safety and security are a concern. Why would you want to expose your children to that environment? Sure, it may work as a deterrent to some, but it may scare others. They may be parents, but if you have done something to land yourself in jail, you do not deserve this intimate contact with your family. That is a freedom. You have lost your freedom.

Dylan · Leader Of The Banned

Exactumundo

Molly · The Mediator

I think it would teach them what happens if they don't follow the rules, though. Like I said, there's a lot of other things to consider, but I think the exposure to a jail is not necessarily a negative thing as long as it is a safe and secure visit.

Molly · The Mediator

I think the kids have a right to see their parents, not really the other way around.

Dylan · Leader Of The Banned

Just based on what I saw every week...it would be a demoralizing, traumatizing place...especially for little kids in my opinion.

Molly · The Mediator

Out of everything I saw in the article, I think the most promising was the day camp option anyway.

Dylan · Leader Of The Banned

finger painting and lock down day care...has a nice ring to it