An Inmate's Daughter

TOP PRISON-PARENT EDUCATOR SHEDS LIGHT ON THE PLIGHT OF CHILDREN OF INCARCERATED PARENTS Renowned author and prison parent/family educator Jan Walker speaks out for children who cope with a parent’s prison term in her forthcoming book, AN INMATE’S DAUGHTER, which will be launched nationwide in March 2006 by Raven Publishing, Inc. AN INMATE’S DAUGHTER (ISBN 0-9714161-9-2) is a fictional account of the reality faced by over 2 million American children with a parent in prison or jail. It chronicles the daily life of thirteen-year-old Jenna MacDonald in her struggles to fit in with “The Snoops,” her school’s racially mixed “in” group. This proves difficult when they ask probing questions about Jenna’s background. Jenna’s desire to be accepted clashes with her mother’s rule to keep the incarceration a secret. As the prison population rises, more children are being affected and more teachers meet such children in their classrooms. To date, one out of eight of the nation’s children has experienced parental incarceration at some point in their lives. In a situation that receives little support, inmate’s children, who have committed no crime, are made to feel the pain and stigma of having a prisoner in the family. Jan Walker, trained in child and family studies, spent the last eighteen years of her teaching career as a correctional educator for adult felons in medium custody prisons. Her previous works include DANCING TO THE CONCERTINA’S TUNE: A PRISON TEACHER’S MEMOIR, and PARENTING FROM A DISTANCE, YOUR RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES, recently reissued by Book Publishers Network. She developed extensive curricula for inmate students, received awards for contributions to correctional education, and continues to advocate for children of incarcerated parents Raven Publishing, Inc. promotes the works of authors who share its mission of healing and support through fiction that addresses contemporary issues children face. The press is releasing AN INMATE’S DAUGHTER in an effort to increase awareness about the daily lives of children who have a parent in prison. ###