Life for Pot

 CHILDREN OF INCARCERATED PARENTS

This post is about Deputy Attorney General James Cole - Remarks from the Children of Incarcerated Parents Initiative "Champions of Change"

I find it very disturbing that one of the solutions to the problem of children whose parents are incarcerated would not be to end egregiously long sentences for non-violent offenders.  Hundreds of millions of dollars would be saved and children would need far less government support in the form of counseling, and could print and distribute far fewer booklets "Mommies and Daddies in Prison"

Rather than spending tax dollars for grants to "enhance parental and family relationships for incarcerated parents" children would actually be able to have an on going relationship with their parent.

These remarks about what the government will do to help children demonstrates an myopic view of of saving American families and saving American taxpayers.

By reudcing incarceration for non-violent offenders - we could start with non-violent marijuana offenders - we get a double bonus - Children with intact families - save money by not incarcerating their parents - save money by not needing to give services to children to help them adjust to having a parent incarcerated.

Deputy Attorney General James M. Cole Delivers Remarks at the Children of Incarcerated Parents Initiative “Champions of Change” Event

~ Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Thank you Tonya [Robinson] for that introduction and for your work on this issue and this event.  And congratulations again to all of the Champions of Change being honored today.  Your work is exemplary as you have dedicated your time and energy to speak up for a unique and vulnerable group: our nation’s children who are dealing with the consequences of a parent’s imprisonment.

It is estimated that more than 1.7 million children currently have a parent in prison, and many more have parents who are in local jails or lock-ups at any given time. As we’ve heard today, addressing these children’s needs requires a coordinated effort of multiple government agencies and social service entities to implement collaborative approaches.  This Administration is committed to providing support to children of incarcerated parents and their caregivers.  Through an interagency working group led by the White House, agencies across the Administration have been taking a hard look at the issues these children, their caregivers and their parents confront and how we can provide more support.  Today, we’ve announced a number of efforts to promote the well-being of these children -- from the time of their parents’ arrest to their parents’ reentry into our communities.