Isabel Coronado Contributes to New Federal Bill to End Separation of Children and Parents Caused by Mass Incarceration
The newly introduced bill would divert parents from prison and keep them home with their children while providing wraparound services and job training.
As a member of the Family Integrity Campaign, Next100 policy entrepreneur Isabel Coronado helped develop the new Finding Alternatives to Mass Incarceration: Lives Improved by Ending Separation Act (FAMILIES Act), introduced by U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) and U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.). Building on a Washington State program, the FAMILIES Act would divert parents from prison and keep them home with their children while providing wraparound services and job training. Isabel says:
“For too long, criminal justice reform has only focused on the incarcerated; we need to focus on the children of the incarcerated who are too often treated as an afterthought. The Families Act does just that. The Families Act is an encouraging example of moving past traditional forms of punishment that inflict years of needless trauma on children, and look to alternatives that keep families together. Through this legislation, we can invest in the next generation and give millions of children the opportunity to thrive despite their parents’ conviction.”
Read the full press release here or a summary of the FAMILIES Act (H.R. 8774/S. 4916) here.