Family Re-entry Support and Help (FRESH) Program

The Division of Rehabilitation and Reentry within the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction proposes to partner with Our Children’s Place of Coastal Horizons Center, Inc. to implement the Family Re-entry Support & Help (FRESH) Program. FRESH seeks to enhance the relationships between incarcerated parents and their minor children, provide services to the minor children during incarceration, and provide re-entry and transitional services for incarcerated parents and their children. In all 13 designated re-entry facilities within NC, the FRESH Program will: 1) Increase knowledge among correctional staff and administrators regarding the importance & role of family in the re-entry process; 2) Ensure these facilities' policies and procedures align with best practices for facilitating parent/child visitations; and 3) Create visitation spaces within these facilities that enable parent/child interaction. The proposed project has three overall goals: 1) Develop and expand services that meet the needs of incarcerated parents and their minor children; 2) Prevent violent crime among participants and child participants; and 3) Decrease involvement in the justice system among involved adults and their minor children. The proposed project will serve 135 individuals annually and thus, a total of 405 adult participants will be served during the 3-year project period.