View the slide share in its entirety for a better understanding of this much needed organization for the Baltimore area. - David McCamy

1. Healing and Empowering Families Affected by Incarceration

2. In the State of Maryland, approximately 82,000 children have a parent that is
incarcerated. This leaves them to grow up in an unstable environment plagued with
academic struggles, poverty, and psychological problems that can last a lifetime.
Children of incarcerated parents have parental bonding disrupted during a
developmentally critical stage of their lives. This disruption is sometimes irreparable.

3. The end result can be a parent and
child left emotionally estranged from
one another because the familial
bonds aren’t able to take root early in
the child’s life.
The long absence of a parent has
been shown to cause stress that
researchers have compared to the
trauma of domestic abuse or divorce.

4. They also need help preparing for the inmate’s
transition back in to the family far in advance
of their release date.
Baltimore is home to one third of the state’s
prison population and in desperate need of
help ensuring that the children of these
prisoners get the emotional support they need.
These children need help nurturing the bond
with the incarcerated parent.
Additionally, they need emotional support and
professional help in healing their fractured
family so that they don’t end up being punished
for the crimes of their parent(s).

5. Who We Are
Inside Out is a program developed to
provide the guidance and support the
families of incarcerated individuals need.

6. We help them feel less isolated by
encouraging relationships with
similarly situated individuals who can
understand what they are
experiencing.
Inside Out provides individual
counseling, family counseling, and
guided support groups to those
fractured families.
These therapeutic services are
intended to support them in
coping with the absence of their
family member.

7. The goal of the program is to ensure that
by sentencing a parent to prison, they
aren’t also sentencing their children to a
life of hardship.
In addition to providing therapeutic
services, the program will empower
families by making referrals to other
community based programs that can
help with needed services such as
education, job training and placement,
mentoring, and housing assistance to
name a few.

8. The Judges, Magistrates,
State’s Attorneys, Public
Defenders, DJS Case
Managers, LINKS
program, DSS Case
Managers, Social Workers,
Detention Center Staff.
Clients may even refer
themselves to our program.
Inside Out will accept
referrals from any source.

9. The form is available in those
locations or on our website at
insideoutbalt.org
Making a referral is simple as
filling out a short, one page
referral form.
The form can be faxed, emailed,
or delivered to one of our many
service locations.

10. Therapists will provide individual and
family counseling in the client’s home at
hours that are convenient for the client to
increase their level of compliance.
Once a referral is received, the client will be
interviewed for the purpose of thoroughly
assessing their needs.
After the interview is complete, an
appointment will be scheduled with one of
our licensed therapists for their first
therapy session.

11. Support groups are
available on a walk in basis
and are guided by one of
our therapist.
Clients will be provided with
a schedule of support groups
that are available throughout
the city of Baltimore.

12. What do these children really want us to know?
• They are often forced to grow up too soon and take on adult responsibilities
• They are dealing with a very difficult situation that they have no control over
• They love their parents and miss them even though they have made mistakes
• They feel negatively judged because of their parent’s actions
• They feel they have to fight the assumption that they will make the same mistakes
• They have the same needs and wants as all young people
• They rely on their own inner strength

13. What do these children want?
• Increased opportunities to visit
• More frequent and less expensive opportunities to communicate
• Better communication between corrections and schools
• Improved sharing of information about their parents
• Better understanding about the impact of mandatory reporting rules
• Friendlier interactions when visiting

14. Our therapists are highly skilled in the evidence
based practice of trauma informed therapy
methods.
Inside Out therapists will help children work through
many sensitive issues related to the incarceration of
their parent which negatively impacts their mental
health.
They may have experienced trauma related to their
parent’s arrest or experiences that have lead up to it.
They are also more likely to have faced other adverse
childhood experiences including witnessing violence in
their communities or household, or exposure to drug and
alcohol abuse.

15. It also allows more family members to
participate and helps to maintain a
consistent therapy schedule.
Inside Out therapists address the
practical difficulties caused by a disrupted
family life by providing family therapy in
the client’s home.
By providing services at home, the
therapist is given additional insight in to
the client’s living situation.

16. Assistance and coaching will be
provided to maximize the value
of those resources based on the
activity interests of the child.
During the first family therapy
session, a list of community based
resources will be provided and
discussed to address problems
outside of their therapeutic needs.

17. If a client has been court ordered to
participate in the program, Inside
Out will provide periodic progress
reports and discharge summaries.

18. Why we are different?
Inside Out is unique because it offers a support group working in conjunction with
other programs offered in Baltimore. Our counselors work with issues related to
trauma, grief, and substance abuse and this is addressed within the context of how they
relate to the incarceration of their loved one. By gathering groups of people dealing
with the same difficult issues, they feel less isolated and stigmatized by their
circumstances.
There are many community based mental health programs available in Baltimore.
None of the programs, however, focus on the unique issues related to the incarceration
of a family member. Often it is the resulting symptoms of anger, depression, and family
dysfunction that are treated without addressing the underlying issue.
Many young adults that are without a good role model in their lives aspire to a
lifestyle that is related to gang, drug, or illegal activities. Inside Out facilitates
opportunities for our youth by providing resources to empower individuals to make
good decisions.