Children of Inmates, Inc.

Children of Inmates, Inc. (COI) is a 501c3 nonprofit social service agency committed to supporting children impacted by parental incarceration by providing comprehensive services to put them on a path to a successful and productive life. Through a multi-disciplinary approach, COI provides a continuum of care for children and their caregivers to address the economic and emotional impacts of parental incarceration. Our goal is to address root causes of childhood trauma from incarceration by “reaching out, rebuilding and reconnecting lives.” Our singular focus on improving the quality of the lives of children with incarcerated parents guides every aspect of our services.

Incarceration of parents/caregivers impacts over 300,000 children in the state of Florida. Research states that these children are acutely at-risk for anti-social behaviors, mental illness and cognitive delays stemming from exposure to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE).  Cambridge University research established through longitudinal and meta-analysis research that youth with incarcerated parents are at three times the risk of anti-social behaviors and twice the risk of mental illness, placing them on a pathway to incarceration themselves.

The Children of Inmates, Inc. program model empowers the children, caregivers and incarcerated family members to develop pro-social and healthy relationships by inviting, rather than prescribing, services and actively seeking their input into the delivery of program activities.