No one can argue that a missing father in the household plays a significant role in the
lives of children. It’s even more so when the father is incarcerated during the child’s most
formative years. In California, Camp Grace offers an answer to this question: “What
would a perfect day be like if my dad was not in prison?”
Because of Camp Grace, those children (age 8-16) can finally have the opportunity to
know the answer. For five days, starting on a Monday, and ending on a Friday, up to two
children of incarcerated fathers can spend quality time with their dads. Camp Grace is a
music- and art-based program that allows the children and their dads to bond over a
week’s time. The joy of seeing these children run and jump into their father’s arms is
tempered only by the knowledge that the fathers have been “model prisoners” in order to
also participate in the program. For prison guards, knowing that the inmates are trying to
monitor their anger and moderate their behavior, makes it a win-win for everybody.
The children and fathers get to spend part of the day in the visiting area of the prison
and the other half of the day in a nearby campsite. The children and fathers bond over
things that most of us take for granted, like having the time to just talk to each other, or
watching a movie together, or even the simple joy of having a meal together.
Just like with any other camp, there are songs to be sung and music to be played. I
watched a video of the fathers singing Pharrell Williams’ “Happy” to their children on
the first day. It was corny, the kids were giddy, but it served as an ice breaker as some of
the kids hadn’t seen their fathers in years. The children are in an environment with other
kids whose fathers are imprisoned, so the young people bond with each other
immediately. There’s no embarrassment about their dad being imprisoned because the
other kids’ dads are prisoners too. One of the major arts-and-craft projects the children
and fathers work on is creating a mural that answers the question about spending a
perfect day with their dads.
The program, which originated in California, is not funded by the government. The
nonprofit that started it struggles to keep the funding going. But watching it in action, it is
an effective idea to start breaking the cycle of violence and recidivism.
We need Camp Grace in Illinois.