Sure, there’s the adage, “distance makes the heart grow fonder.” But anyone who’s been in a long-distance relationship can attest that maintaining the connection is difficult — and a lot of work.
That’s particularly true of incarcerated parents who are separated from their children.
But a pilot program in Philadelphia is working to change that. For almost a year now, Riverside Correctional Facility (which houses about 800 women) has been allowing supervised video chats between inmates and their children.
This increased ability to communicate not only has the potential to enhance prisoner morale and family cohesion, but it also allows the parent to have more say in decisions regarding her kids. All of this is very much needed, which is obvious from this staggering statistic: Since 1991, the number of children with imprisoned mothers has doubled, according to Next City.
More families could soon benefit from this program, says Jessica Shapiro, DHS chief of staff in Philadelphia, and the technology could even spread nationwide this summer.
With the huge increase in incarcerated mothers, video chatting has the potential to revolutionize and greatly improve the childhood of those affected. Although parents in prison cannot be physically present with their children, and in many situations, social workers have to get involved, this technology does allow for more involved parenting and better outcomes for the family as a whole.
One family recently used a video chat to hold a “family team conference,” notes Shapiro. “A mother and grandmother who were both incarcerated, [and] the children and grandchildren were able to attend the conference at DHS,” she said. “The conference was so emotionally powerful for all parties that the facilitator had to actually stop the conference several times.”
While videoconferencing should not replace vital, in-person visits between inmates and their children, it does have the ability to increase communication, something that the general prison population needs— cutting down on wait times and keeping families better connected.
MORE: Born in Prison Herself, She’s Helping Women Break the Incarceration Cycle
Tag: Philly
Troubled by Urban Blight? What Other Cities Can Learn From Philadelphia
Abandoned buildings and vacant space in U.S. cities is nothing new. In fact, these problems have plagued cities across the U.S. for decades. In the wake of the housing crash, however, some urban initiatives have gotten creative: Painting boarded up windows and doors to blend in with other buildings in the area. But Philadelphia is taking a hard line on cracking down on property negligent owners.
A window and doors ordinance established in Philadelphia in 2011 prohibits buildings from having the hallmark of vacancy — plywood covering windows and doors. Property owners with boarded-up openings are fined $300 per day, per window or door. In turn, the ordinance has generated $2.2 million more in transfer tax receipts and Philadelphia has increased home values throughout the city by $74 million, the Los Angeles Times reports.
City officials use software used by the IRS to track down owners to take them to Blight Court, which was established along with the ordinance. The new policy even allows the city to attach liens to a property owner’s other property, which incentivizes owners to solve the problem quickly.
As a result, property prices have shot up 31 percent in the last four years. That’s in sharp contrast to the meager 1 percent rise in similar areas, according to a study by Ira Goldstein of the Reinvestment Fund, a community development financial institution.
Rebecca Swanson, who directs the city’s vacant building strategy, said the City of Brotherly Love had already spent millions in demolition to tear down abandon properties, to no avail. Instead, officials decided to take preemptive action by fining owners for “blighting influences.” “That was the whole point, to catch them early, cite them for doors and windows, and hopefully that incentivizes the owner to come out of the woodwork and do something,” Swanson said.
Philadelphia real estate lawyer Richard Vanderslice agreed the ordinance is making a difference. Vanderslice represents many of the landlords, and although they’re griping about the fines, many end up spending more money to develop property.
“They say, ‘How do I fight this?’ and I say, ‘Fix it. It’s going to cost you more to fight it, and by the way, why not just replace the door, rent it out and make some money from it?’ And sometimes a light bulb goes off,” he said.
The new code is working. Inspectors have probed 13,000 vacant properties and cited 9,000 of them for being in violation of city code. Property tax collection has increased in the areas investigated and the city is receiving more permit and licensing fees as building owners are starting to pay more attention, Swanson said. Owners are tearing down dilapidated property or selling it to developers rather than paying the fines. Philadelphia, which has lost more than a half million people since its peak of 2 million residents, has seen a slight uptick to 1.5 million in recent years.
As more cities cut back on budgets and look for new ways to revitalize blighted areas, Philly’s example reveals that sometimes all it takes is a little incentive.
M. Night Shymalan: “Fierceness” Will Fix Our Schools
In an event that focused on Philadelphia’s education problems, some reformers focused on schools’ input (the public resources going into a school) and some focused on output (the results schools achieve). Amid conversations about alternative school models, like charter schools, film director M. Night Shyamalan offered his perspective: U.S. students get unequal environments and support. Non-white students especially get shortchanged. Shymalan says that inner-city schools that work tell kids “You’re fierce!” — a reminder that maybe making students feel that they matter is the real purpose of public education.