[The short story below from ABC27 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and the press release from the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections that follows describe an innovative use of presence-evoking virtual reality. –Matthew]
[Image: Source: FOX 56]
Virtual reality brings incarcerated Pa. parents closer to their kids
By: Bryan Munoz
Posted: October 17, 2022 / Updated: October 18, 2022
(WHTM) — The Department of Corrections is teaming up with Pittsburgh nonprofit Amachi for a one-a-kind initiative.
“It’s an incredible opportunity for kids and parents to reconnect especially after a long period of no visitation,” said Anna Hollis, executive director for Amachi.
It involves using an immersive, 360-degree virtual reality experience from Wrap Technologies, offering multiple scenarios — everything from hiking together to taking a trip into space.
“They only see each other when they are not wearing a headset. We begin the visit with the child and parent connecting, talking, catching up, then they decide what adventure they want to take on together,” Hollis said.
They have the same experience at the same time but in two different places.
“They have a shared experience that takes them outside of the harsh reality of the separation that they have, and where they find themselves,” Hollis said. “It gives that parent an opportunity to parent from the inside no matter how long they’ll be away.”
This virtual reality experiment is being funded by a $600,000 federal grant that’s also being used to train correctional guards and hold inmate parenting classes.
“Ninety-five percent of the men and women who come to us at the Department of Corrections are coming home someday and coming home to their families one day. We don’t want it to be a situation where daddy says ‘I’m back,’ maybe with programs like this daddy never really has to leave,” said Acting Secretary George Little, PA Departments of Corrections.
This is only being done in Pennsylvania. The program is in place now at four facilities in the state. None are in the Midstate, yet, but program leaders hope to expand. Penn State has been brought on board to evaluate the program as it plays out.
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[Press release from the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections]
Department Of Corrections Introduces Virtual Reality Technology To Augment Programming For Incarcerated Parents And Their Children
October 17, 2022
Pittsburgh, PA — Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (DOC) Acting Secretary George Little was joined by Anna Hollis, executive director of Amachi Pittsburgh to announce an innovative virtual reality (VR) pilot program that leverages technology and community partnerships to promote healthy relationships and engagement between incarcerated parents and their children.
The first of its kind collaboration between the DOC and Wrap Technologies builds on the existing InsideOut Dads and Parenting Inside Out programs, which are designed to improve communication skills, facilitate the showing and handling of feelings, and introduce effective discipline techniques. With the introduction of VR immersion, participants learn and practice healthy parenting skills in a 360-degree environment. Each VR interaction is guided by a lesson plan and managed by DOC staff, who have the ability to adapt and customize the situations in real time.
“The overwhelming majority of incarcerated parents will return to their families and communities at the conclusion of their prison sentence, and the DOC is committed to setting them up for success,” said Acting Secretary Little. “Practice makes perfect, and we hope role playing with the assistance of virtual avatars will help parents and children see beyond facility walls and build stronger families and safer communities.”
Children do not have to travel to a DOC facility to participate. Community providers Amachi Pittsburgh and Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC) in Philadelphia facilitate the virtual reality visits for participating children and offer support services to their families.
“Our team is thrilled to partner with the PA Department of Corrections and Wrap to provide VR experiences for our youth and parents,” said Anna Hollis, executive director of Amachi Pittsburgh. “VR is a new, innovative way for us to pique interest, attract new participants and spark learning, creativity and imagination.”
“In our work with incarcerated individuals, we know that it is extremely important to have family support, including engagement with children,” said Laurie A. Corbin, PHMC managing director for community engagement. “We hope the parent and child will have a fun and educational experience which will provide them with happy memories despite their physical separation from each other.”
Researchers from the Pennsylvania State University have been tapped as the evaluators for the pilot program.
“We are excited to work alongside the DOC and community partners to evaluate this new and innovative program. We hope the results will illuminate more ways for incarcerated parents and their children to enjoy learning together,” said Sara Brennen with the Penn State Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center and the Goodling Institute for Research in Family Literacy in the College of Education.
Complete funding for the VR initiative comes from the federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Programs. The InsideOut Dads program is available at each of the DOC’s male facilities. The VR component has been introduced at SCI Phoenix, SCI Fayette, and SCI Frackville. VR is also available at SCI Muncy, a female facility, building on a similar Parenting Inside Out program.
Incarcerated parents must be housed in general population, be within three years of their minimum date, and not be convicted of crimes involving children to be eligible to participate in the VR experiences.
For more information on the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections and the InsideOut Dads and Parenting Inside Out programs, visit cor.pa.gov.