On December 1, 2018 attorney staff from the Public Defender’s Office had the opportunity to participate in the Inmate Services Unit’s PACC (Parent and Child Connection) Program. The attorney team volunteered in assisting 22 inmates to record books for 34 children. Members of the Public Defender’s Office plan to hand-deliver as many of the books and recordings as possible in time for Christmas.
PACC is one component of the Parent Intervention Program (PIP) that was created by Dr. Laura Kamptner and Dr. Faith McClure, Department of Psychology, Cal State University, San Bernardino. This reading program is designed to strengthen parent-child relations through positive communication. Inmates select an age-appropriate book from a collection maintained by Inmate Services, and are recorded reading under the supervision of, and assistance from, staff. Both the book and the recording are mailed to the child at home so that the child can enjoy being read to by their parents, maintaining the parent/child bond and encouraging literacy.