Children of Inmates, Inc.

COI is a pioneer in providing targeted services for children and families impacted by incarceration. In line the philosophy of helping others, COI emerged in 2007 from an experiment to create a system of care for families who find themselves in this predicament. We are known nationally as one of the largest family reunification programs, in both volume and frequency of visitation. We have reconnected over 2,700 families with over 6,400 children in 22 Florida correctional facilities.

According to research by the Annie E. Casey foundation, well over 300,000 children in Florida have a parent residing in a correctional institution. Many families with incarcerated loved ones live in extremely underserved neighborhoods. Many are victims themselves, and many are part of families with intergenerational incarceration. The incarceration of their loved one can function as a tipping point into unintended and undesired negative consequences.

These consequences are not inevitable. A 2016 report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation titled "Children of Incarcerated Parents: A Shared Sentence" notes, "Research shows preserving a child's relationship with a parent during incarceration benefits both parties. It also benefits society, reducing children's mental health issues and anxiety, while lowering recidivism and facilitating parents' successful return to their communities".

COI's program provides bonding visits to support pro-social interactions between families and their incarcerated loved ones. The COI model is predicated on the presumption that children of incarcerated parents have the right to maintain a relationship with their parents. The program empowers incarcerated parents and caregivers. Bonding visits, oftentimes, require children and their caregivers to travel hundreds of miles to the facility. Once inside, visiting areas are transformed into play-areas, allowing the incarcerated parent to interact in meaningful ways with their children to foster positive memories.