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Message from Angela:

Greetings,

Thank you for opening your home and heart as a host for the Daughters watch party. Your engagement offers a powerful platform for this important film – a dedicated time for deep conversation and community connection. As you prepare to share this experience with your guests, remember that your role extends beyond just viewing a film—it's about igniting a movement for change. Be sure to have plenty of snacks, drinks, and yes, tissues—this film is a poignant one. Daughters is more than just a story; it's a call to acknowledge and empower the incredible resilience of young Black girls and their families navigating the challenges posed by incarceration. By hosting this event, you've contributed to a movement to dismantle systemic barriers and advocate for justice and healing. When I was invited to join Co-Director Natalie Rae in co-directing Daughters and ended up being a feature in the film, I realized how storytelling through film was a powerful tool to spread the message broadly and to inspire more social change activists and activation in my community and beyond. After the screening, take a moment to breathe, light a candle, clean up your face, drink some water, and explore the themes presented with your guests. Use the provided discussion guide to delve into the film's impact, and encourage your guests to share their thoughts and feelings. This dialogue

is the first step toward broader societal healing. I want to personally thank you for hosting this watch party. Films like ours thrive on the support of individuals like you, who bring communities together to reflect, discuss, and act.

 

Warm regards,

Angela Patton

CEO, Girls For A Change

Co-Director, Daughters

Film Synopsis:

A moving portrait of empathy and forgiveness, Daughters traces an eight-year documentary journey by filmmaker Natalie Rae and social change advocate Angela Patton. The film intimately follows Aubrey, Santana, Raziah, and Ja’Ana as they prepare for a momentous Daddy Daughter Dance with their incarcerated fathers. Speaking openly about their aspirations, dreams, and the emotional toll of their fathers' absence, compounded by the constraints of virtual visits, these girls reveal a profound wisdom and resilience beyond their years. As they navigate heartbreak, anger, and uncertainty, they seize a precious opportunity to forge connections. Daughters sheds light on the complexities of familial bonds strained by the unforgiving barriers of the criminal justice system and emphasizes that the foundation of community healing lies within the family unit.

Introduction to NYC Impact Screening Guide & Purpose:

This NYC-specific impact screening guide is designed to broaden perspectives on the criminal justice system through the lens of families. In it, we provide information on New York’s visitation practices, along with statistics pertaining to incarcerated individuals, recidivism rates, and the impact of education. There are also examples of initiatives currently in place at New York’s Sing Sing Correctional Facility, along with discussion guide questions focused on education and children.

The Situation in New York:

  1. 32,600 people are currently incarcerated in New York. 

  2. 105000 children in New York have incarcerated parents.

  3. On average, a person spends 26 days in jail before trial in New York

  4. Having a parent incarcerated increases the likelihood that a child will be incarcerated by 33%

  5. Almost half of the people in state prisons are parents of minor children

  6. Children do not have any legal right to contact or see an incarcerated parent. It is usually allowed, but prisons can also remove this privilege. 

  7. Children whose parents are incarcerated in New York often end up living with family members, living with one parent, or in foster care. 

  8. 1 in 9 African Americans has an incarcerated parent

  9. There are 42 prisons across New York State

  10. Rules on visitation vary by prison. At Sing Sing, three people can visit a week, and one child who’s younger than five. 

  11. During COVID, visits were maxed at 2 hours.

  12. Most prisoners in New York get two free calls a week, 15 minutes each. They have to pay for more than that. 

  13. If the prison a parents is sent to is far away, children can still visit, however, their transportation will not be supported or aided in any way. It is encouraged to house parents as close to their children as possible.

  14. Security level classification, programmatic needs, available space, facility capacity, and safety needs all go into how it is decided which prison someone will be sent to. There is no guarantee it will be near their children. 

  15. People who are in correctional educational programs have a 43 percent lower change of being reincarcerated, 13 percent higher employment rate after release

  16. There are many studies available, each confirming this conclusion. Prisoners who achieve a high school diploma or GED have less than a 54.6% recidivism rate, whereas 13.7% of prisoners who obtain an associate’s degree reoffend, and only 5.6% of prisoners with a bachelor’s degree reoffend. And the recidivism rate for prisoners with a master’s degree is 0%. 

  17. RTA: Less than 3 percent recidivism rate compared to the national rate of 60 percent There are workshops about various arts like dance, theater, music, and writing. Also learn about teamwork and discipline

  18. FamilyWorks: People learn about parenting and how to build healthier familial relationships.

Discussion Questions (Before Viewing):

  • Have you seen any media that has affected your view on incarcerated individuals?

  • What do you think are some key factors that reduce recidivism rates?

  • Do you think children should be able to visit their parents in prison?

  • What rights do you think children should have in maintaining their relationship with an incarcerated parent?

  • In New York, how often do you think children are allowed to visit their parents?

Discussion Questions (After Viewing):

  • Has your outlook on incarcerated people changed? 

  • How has all media, including this film, impacted and shaped your view?

  • How do you think the government should decide which prison an individual is incarcerated in?

  • How do you think education should be incorporated within prisons?

  • Given that about 94% of the prison population in New York will eventually be released, how should we prepare incarcerated individuals for the outside world? How should the government aid in the facilitation of relationships with those who are not incarcerated?

  • Should there be class field trips to prisons for children?

  • What do you think should determine a person’s prison sentence? Should family play a role?

  • Should there be incentives for individuals in prison? (Such as incentives to join particular programs that reduce recidivism rates).

  • How can our perceptions be changed towards incarcerated folks and their families? 

  • How can the children of incarcerated parents be supported more? 

  • What changes in legislation do you think could improve the lives of incarcerated individuals and their children? 

  • How can we think more creatively about engaging incarcerated people with their families and the outside world?

Resources:

  • Books

    • “The Sing Sing Files” by Daniel Slepian

    • “Just Mercy” by Bryan Stevenson

    • “The Innocent Man” by John Grisham

    • “Writing my Wrongs” by Shaka Senghor

    • “A Knock at Midnight” by Brittany K Barnett

    • “This Is Ear Hustle” by Nigel Poor and Earlonne Woods

    • “Prison by Any Other Name” by Maya Schenwar and Victoria Law

  • Documentaries

    • The Sing Sing Chronicles

    • The Sentence

    • Rikers: An American Jail

    • Incarcerating US

    • Prison Families

    • Released

    • Life After Life

    • Prison, My Parents and Me

References:

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_State_Department_of_Corrections_and_Community_Supervision 

  2. https://cblcc.acf.hhs.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Initiative_CIP_Stats_Fact_Sheet.pdf 

  3. https://www.hks.harvard.edu/centers/wiener/programs/criminaljustice/projects/pretrial-detention  

  4. https://imrp-dpp.media.uconn.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/3351/2021/09/March-2015-Seven-out-of-ten.pdf 

  5. https://www.prisonpolicy.org/blog/2022/08/11/parental_incarceration/?utm_source 

  6. https://doccs.ny.gov/visiting-information 

  7. https://cblcc.acf.hhs.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Initiative_CIP_Stats_Fact_Sheet.pdf 

  8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_State_Department_of_Corrections_and_Community_Supervision 

  9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_State_Department_of_Corrections_and_Community_Supervision 

  10. https://doccs.ny.gov/location/sing-sing-correctional-facility

  11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_State_Department_of_Corrections_and_Community_Supervision 

  12. https://doccs.ny.gov/telephone-calls 

  13. https://doccs.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2024/11/4024public_0.pdf 

  14. https://doccs.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2020/01/family-handbook-english-final-12.2019-002.pdf 

  15. https://www.rand.org/news/press/2013/08/22.html 

  16. https://www.nlg.org/guild-notes/article/beyond-bars-education-key-to-lower-recidivism/#:~:text=(1)%20There%20are%20many%20studies,with%20a%20bachelor's%20degree%20reoffend. 

    1. https://rta-arts.org/sing-sing-film/ 

https://www.amny.com/news/sing-sing-correctional-facility-family-program/

Objectives (encouragement for schools to host screening):

Hosting a screening not only helps make a meaningful difference in the advancement of visitation rights for children nationwide, but it also greatly benefits all students involved. Through curating and presenting a screening, students will improve their presentation abilities and leadership qualities. A screening promotes youth leadership and community action, highlighting the power of youth voices. As for academics, both the presenter and observers will increase their knowledge of statistics from the presentation, as well as their comprehension and analysis skills. Overall, a screening facilitates youthful voices and student engagement, while also offering a surplus of academic benefits.


As for the film itself, it will help develop students’ empathy and social awareness. As students learn more and more about incarceration and its various impacts from Daughters, they will also gain a deeper understanding of systemic barriers within our criminal justice system. This type of awareness will permeate all aspects of students' lives, benefiting their learning and relationships with others. Lastly, this screening will teach students that storytelling and sharing their voice connect directly to advocacy, exemplifying the remarkable change they are capable of. Furthermore, this screening encourages students to reflect on their own stories and the things they are passionate about in life, motivating them to share their voices.

Situation in North Carolina:

  1. Incarceration rate of 559 people per 100,000 residents

    1. https://www.prisonpolicy.org/profiles/NC.html

  2. There are 35,166 people incarcerated in North Carolina state prisons

    1. https://vera-institute.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/pdfdownloads/state-incarceration-trends-north-carolina.pdf

  3. There are 53 adult prison facilities

    1. https://www.dac.nc.gov/annual-statistical-report-fy-2022-23/open

  4. Over 20000 kids in North Carolina have at least one incarcerated parent

    1. https://www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2024/04/15/over-20000-children-in-nc-have-a-parent-whos-incarcerated-a-handful-of-them-visited-prison-for-a-day-of-bonding-and-connecting/

  5. Children can visit only on scheduled appointments

    1. Video visits are allowed in only some prisons

    2. https://www.dac.nc.gov/divisions-and-sections/institutions/prison-visitation

  6. Being incarcerated does not automatically strip a parent of their custody

    1. https://www.charlesullman.com/parental-rights-of-incarcerated-parents-in-nc

  7. Within the first year of release, 41% of released individuals were rearrested

    1. https://www.sog.unc.edu/blogs/nc-criminal-law/look-2022-sentencing-commission-recidivism-report

  8. The recidivism rate of incarceration was 25% within one year

    1. 33% within two years

    2. https://www.nccourts.gov/assets/documents/publications/SPAC-2024-Adult-Recidivism-Report-FY-2021.pdf

  9. Black people in North Carolina are incarcerated at a significantly higher rate than white people

    1. https://www.prisonpolicy.org/articles/northcarolina.htm

Situation in Virginia:

  1. There are roughly 23,000 individuals in Virginia DOC institutions

    1. https://vadoc.virginia.gov/media/2251/populationsummaryjul2025.pdf

  2. Only five people, including children, can visit at a time

    1. https://vadoc.virginia.gov/files/operating-procedures/800/vadoc-op-851-1-a6.pdf

  3. All child visitors must have an approved application that is attached to an adult's application as well

    1. https://vadoc.virginia.gov/family-and-friends/visiting-an-inmate/

  4. Children must be with a parent or guardian or approved adult during all visits

    1. https://vadoc.virginia.gov/family-and-friends/visiting-an-inmate/

  5. There is a background check on all visitors 15 and older

    1. https://vadoc.virginia.gov/media/1076/vadoc-op-851-1.pdf

  6. There are roughly 18000 video visits a month in Virginia

    1. https://afoi.org/video-visitation?

  7. Virginia has the lowest recidivism rate in the country: 17.6%

    1. https://vadoc.virginia.gov/news-press-releases/

  8. About 14,000 children have at least one incarcerated parent

    1. https://rga.lis.virginia.gov/Published/1993/HD32

  9. Over 30,000 children have had a parent in the justice system

    1. https://rga.lis.virginia.gov/Published/1993/HD32

Situation in DC:

  1. The DOC ADP (average daily population) is almost 2000

    1. https://doc.dc.gov/page/new-correctional-facility

  2. One adult and up to 2 minors can enter a video visit at once

    1. https://doc.dc.gov/service/online-scheduling-video-visitationscheduling-face-face-visitation

  3. Minors must be under adult supervision at all times

    1. https://doc.dc.gov/service/online-scheduling-video-visitationscheduling-face-face-visitation

  4. DC does not hold any long-term state prisons

    1. https://www.prisonpolicy.org/profiles/DC.html

  5. Each incarcerated person can have only 2 social visits a week

    1. https://doc.dc.gov/service/online-scheduling-video-visitationscheduling-face-face-visitation

  6. In-person visits are not given to every person. They are part of an incentive program

    1. https://doc.dc.gov/service/online-scheduling-video-visitationscheduling-face-face-visitation

  7. All video visits are monitored by a member of DOCs and can be stopped at any time

    1. https://doc.dc.gov/service/online-scheduling-video-visitationscheduling-face-face-visitation

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