A new 12-week parenting skills course for incarcerated men at the Fentress County Justice Center hopes to help them maintain connections with their children and prepare for reunification.
Ridgeview Behavioral Health Rural Fatherhood Program Coordinator Jonathon Hash said the initiative utilizes a curriculum called Inside-Out Dad to address the specific needs of fathers behind bars.
“Understanding that just because the obstacle of incarceration is there doesn’t mean they stop being parents, and we really look for creative ways of connecting with our kids even though the incarceration is there,” Hash said.
The initial phase of the course focuses on self-reflection regarding the definition of fatherhood and the values participants want to pass on to their children. The curriculum also covers co-parenting strategies and establishes rules for how participants interact with the mothers of their children.
“Especially for incarcerated people who are pretty constantly putting up a tough facade to say, hey, let’s take some ownership of our actions, and really owning it, as a sign of this is the respectable thing to do,” Hash said. “So I’d say stigma’s a big thing to overcome, and in that attitude of accepting help for men.”
The program includes lessons on emotional regulation for both the fathers and their children. Participants also study physical health and the various developmental stages children experience as they grow. The participating men are encouraged to write letters to their kids whether they have access to them or not.
“Historically the men don’t have the programs available,” Hash said. “There’s a hundred different support groups for women, but not so many for men.”
The program launched after receiving a grant from the Tennessee Fatherhood Initiative through the Tennessee Department of Human Services. The program aims to strengthen the family unit so that fathers can be seen actively parenting in public once their incarceration ends.
“We also don’t want it to be seen as you have to take a parenting class because you messed up in any way. The class is here to just make you better,” Hash said. “There’s always just some self-improvement that we could dive into.”
Hash said the statewide initiative has reached approximately 4,000 individuals and will continue recruiting to demonstrate the ongoing need for fatherhood resources.