Inmates learning to be better parents

Thirteen inmates entered the small, windowless classroom in the jail. Some laughed, some talked and others grabbed folders and took their seats. Most didn't know what to expect from the three men waiting inside.

Though in jail for a variety of reasons, all of the inmates were in that room at the Hamilton County Jail with the same goal - to be a better father.

One inmate shared his family news and a wake-up call for his past behavior.

"I have a 14-year-old daughter," he said when his turn to talk came. "I just found out today, she's pregnant."

Volunteers with First Things First are holding an eight-week fathering class in the jail to bring better parenting examples to inmates, who themselves often had difficult home lives.

"There's a huge difference between being a father and a parent," said Jose Perez of what the inmates will learn through the course.

Most of the men made the first step by volunteering to take the class, but the work ahead would be the way to improve their own lives and the lives of their children, he said.

"If you don't take the time to better yourselves in here, then you're going to get stuck in that revolving door," he said.

Mr. Perez knows what it's like to wear an orange jumpsuit.

He took the fathering class twice as an inmate, and now works in the court system.

It took years for him to regain trust with his daughter's mother so she would allow him to be involved in his child's life, he told inmates.

The once-a-week class kicked off with brief introductions in which inmates shared their backgrounds, how many children they have and what types of relationship they have with their fathers.

"This is a pretty tough way to start a group," Todd Agne, fathering coordinator, said after some inmates shared their stories.

Emory Hill, a 52-year-old grandfather, has three sons from two marriages. His oldest son, whom he raised alone, is in prison. The other two, raised by his second wife, are Marines, he said.

"I'm here for wisdom, because my granddaughter from my first son, she's gonna need someone to raise her," he said.

The class ran for nearly five years until almost all programs were canceled after the election of former Sheriff Billy Long in 2006, said Jay Baumgardner, a volunteer with the class.

FAST FACTS* Daughters of single parents are 164 percent more likely to have a premarital birth.* Nearly 75 percent of children living in single-parent homes will experience poverty before age 11.* Fatherless children are twice as likely to drop out of school.* Teens in single-mother households are at a 30 percent higher risk to smoke, drink or use drugs compared to teens in two-parent households.Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources, National Fatherhood Initiative

Volunteers knew then that they would have to wait for a new sheriff before they could bring the class back, he said.

Shortly after Sheriff Jim Hammond took office the group talked with him and Deputy Chief Richard Shockley about restarting the class.

They will have been back in business for a year this summer, Mr. Baumgardner said.

Deputy Chief Shockley said anytime inmates can learn better coping methods and see how past behavior put them in the jail, it's beneficial.

"My history tells me that the more we put before these guys gives them less opportunity and motivation to act out," he said.

By the end of the two-hour session inmates had compiled a list of what they wanted to cover in the next seven weeks.

Topics ranged from reconnecting with family members to talking about sex with their children, an area in which many feared their kids could make mistakes similar to theirs.

"Somewhere between now and eight weeks these guys will get hit with a two-by-four with where they are as a father," Mr. Baumgardner said.

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