Parenting From Prison: Inmate Dad Wants Family Program For Fathers Similar To Incarcerated Moms

A dad currently serving time at a Tulsa jail for drug trafficking is hoping he could benefit from a family program for fathers who are in prison. Inmate Johnny Wald, who has a 6-year-old boy who wants to regularly see him, is aware that there's a program for incarcerated mothers. Why are there none for dads in jail?

Wald's story has been featured in Tulsa World, where it was revealed the inmate dad has been pushing for a parenting program similar to inmate mothers since 2015. The desire stemmed from the fact that he can only see his son through a chat session via a computer, while mothers in prison can actually spend time with their children face-to-face because of the David L. Moss Parenting Program.

According to the Tulsa County Inmate Information Center, children below 14-years-old are not allowed to visit their parents in prison. The parenting program, however, allows incarcerated moms to still actively parent their children along with gaining from parenting classes and counseling sessions with parenting experts.

The David L. Moss Parenting Program was introduced in Tulsa jail for women in 2010. Mothers in prison have to voluntarily sign up for the classes and sessions, which takes place three times a week, according to Family & Children's Services. So far, 82 women and their kids have taken advantage of the program, according to Tulsa World in a separate report.

In October, Wald presented a petition with 49 signatures from other inmate dads in his bid for the parenting program. It's not the first time the father has done this but he's hoping his petitions and letters would soon receive a positive response.

"I believe I know better, but I need the tools to be able to do better," Wald wrote in one of his letters to the program directors. "So I'm sure I can find them in parenting classes."

According to Dee Harris of the Family & Children's Services, however, the parenting program will need more funding and personnel so that it can also be done for dads. At this point, those resources are currently not available.