Millions of children won’t be able to hug their parents during the holidays this year. Why? Because of corporate greed.
Kids with parents who are in jail are being kept from holding their hands, looking in their eyes, feeling their touch, all because private companies and local authorities want to maximize profits.
We don’t think kids should be separated from their parents—not during the holidays, not ever.
Even though more than 5 million children in the US have had a parent experience incarceration, many jails all across the country have stopped letting kids visit their parents in person.
Instead, they’re forcing families to pay outrageous fees for phone and video calls. In fact, 74% of jails that started using expensive video calls also banned in-person visits. Fees from those calls generate huge profits for telecom companies, jails, and local sheriff departments—and they’re forcing many families to choose between putting food on the table and staying in touch with loved ones.
Phone and video calls aren’t just expensive, they’re also unreliable, plagued by technical glitches and lag times. Not only that, they’re routinely monitored by authorities. But no call, whatever its quality, can ever take the place of spending time with a loved one, especially during the holidays.
“We’re arguing that the government has to have a really, really good reason to keep kids apart from their parents, and making money is not an excuse to separate families… I can’t wait to finally hug my dad. No kid should have to wait so long.”
—Maggie, Teen Vogue
Studies have shown that being able to visit parents who are in jail can make a huge difference in the lives of children. In-person visits, especially those that allow hugs and physical contact, can lead to:
Parents benefit from in-person visits as well. In addition to improving their overall well-being, time with their children results in deeper human connections and social bonds while behind bars, a decrease in the experience of isolation and emotional trauma that so often lead to re-arrest, and a greater likelihood of being reunited with their families once they’re released.
“It’s been really hard focusing on school stuff since [my dad has] been gone. I have to take care of a lot more things at home to help out my mom, and I feel really sad constantly not being able to see him.”
—S.L., Right to Hug campaign
The Right to Hug campaign is working hard, in the courts and on the streets, to reconnect families. And they’ve already scored a big victory in Genesee County, Michigan (Flint). The sheriff there was once a big proponent of increasing the use of phone and video calls. In a 2012 interview, he said that the system needed to be “a revenue-generating machine.”
The Right to Hug campaign filed a lawsuit against Genesee County—and Sheriff Swanson said that it helped him see that he was wrong. He believes that what Right to Hug is doing “is about restoring families, breaking generational cycles of incarceration and poverty, and instilling hope.”
The sheriff announced that some in-person visits would resume at the county jail and he’s looking to reduce costs for phone and video calls as well. While this is a step in the right direction, more action is needed, both in Genesee County and around the country.
“One hug is worth a thousand video visits. Young kids…need that form of comfort and connection in order to have a deep connection with that parent or family member.”
—Julie Poehlmann, professor of human development and family studies, University of Wisconsin at Madison
Every kid deserves to hug their parent. Every family deserves to stay connected.
Corporate greed should never separate a child from their family.
Join the Right to Hug campaign and help reinstate in-person family visits at jails today!
Subscribe Now And We'll Make Sure You Get The Inside Scoop On Ben & Jerry's Movements, Fun And Flavors! It's Like Dessert For Your Inbox, And You're Going To Want Seconds.
Saying “I love you” shouldn’t cost a thing — especially during the holidays. But for decades the predatory prison telecom industry has charged people who are incarcerated absurdly high rates just to call home. How did this happen? And what can we do about it?
Cash bail separates families and devastates lives. End cash bail and make sure there’s a place at the table for everyone this Thanksgiving!
The US spends almost $81 billion a year on locking people up—and it doesn’t make us any safer. Want to know what does? Read on for 4 proven programs that improve lives and strengthen communities.
