FAMILY MATTERS is a family wellness course developed for people in prison. It has been taught to both men and women in prison, and to a group recently released from prison. The course can be adapted to fit various time frames. Topics include learning about the family system, healing relationships, and parenting, particularly parenting from prison. There is also a focus on supporting the relationship between the parent in prison and person(s) caring for their children at home. Please feel free to use it and adapt it to your context.

The course supports effective re-entry by strengthening family relationships through increasing understanding of family patterns and teaching effective skills for marital and family communication and parenting. By supporting stronger and healthier relationships with family members, with parents and grandparents, as well as with mates and children, the course increases the family support for the released individual and thus supports healthy recovery and effective re-entry into the community. It is also expected to have secondary effects on other family members. Healthier relationships with parents lead to more support for children/grandchildren. When people become better parents, it supports the character development of their children, thus increasing the probability that those children will be effective, law-abiding members of society.

The Family Matters course can stand alone or provide a strong foundation for more in depth parenting and marriage programs. The course can also reinforce and build on aspects of addiction and recovery courses and can be used as part of a recovery program sequence of courses. It is valuable for individuals just entering the institution, but also at any period of the incarceration where individuals show an concern for family matters. It can also be integrated into re-entry programs to increase family support for individuals returning to the community.