Focus on Family and Fatherhood: Lessons From Fairfax County's Responsible Fatherhood Program for Incarcerated Dads

• NCJ Number: 211835
• Author(s): Monica L. P. Robbers
• Date Published: 2005
• Length: 27 pages
• Sale Source: Ctr on Juvenile and Criminal Justice
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: From Justice Policy Journal, N 1, V 2, Summer 2005; an earlier version of this paper was presented at the 2003 American Society of Criminology meeting in Denver; downloaded November 10, 2005.

Annotation

This report presents evaluation findings for Fairfax County's (Virginia) Responsible Fatherhood Program for Incarcerated Dads, which is intended to help incarcerated fathers maintain positive interactions with their children and improve their relationship with the children's mother.

Abstract

Participants in the program, which was launched in March 2002, meet once a week (90-minute sessions) for 10 weeks. The curriculum covers statistics on fatherhood and parenting, understanding child development, co-parenting, responsible manhood, conflict resolution, and moving on. Each lesson has homework components and exercises that usually involve some interaction with participants' children. The Fairfax program is unique in serving fathers who are beginning their sentences, although it also includes some fathers who are about to be released. Participation is voluntary. For evaluation purposes, the treatment group consisted of those fathers in the first 6 cohorts who participated in at least 4 of the fatherhood program sessions (n=56). The control group was composed of fathers who were incarcerated for the length of the program (n=31). Control group members agreed to participate in both pre- and posttests. Of the 56 men in the treatment group, 49 percent attended all the program sessions; 27 percent attended 5 or 6 sessions; and 23 percent attended 4 sessions. The evaluation focused on whether the program increased the frequency of participants' contact with the children, improved their knowledge and attitude about fatherhood, repaired or improved their relationship with the mother of their children, and increased their knowledge of the justice system. Compared to the control group, the treatment group had increased contact with their children, improved their knowledge and attitudes toward fatherhood, and increased their knowledge of the justice system. The quality of the relationship with the children's mother, however, was not significantly affected by the program. 4 tables and 35 references