How to Stay in Contact with Your Children While in Jail

Jail isn't just for hardened criminals who choose a life of crime. If you find yourself in jail for an extended period of time, you'll want a way to stay in contact with your children. This period of separation can be difficult for everyone involved, and your children will likely have lots of questions about where you are and why you've been sent to prison. Following are a few tips on how to handle this delicate situation.

Make a Plan

If possible, discuss your options with your spouse before you have to go to jail. Decide exactly what you will tell your children and how you will field difficult questions, and finally how you will stay in contact while incarcerated. If you are taken to jail suddenly and don't have time to confer with your spouse, agree to speak over the phone or during a visit before any decisions are made.

Write Plenty of Letters

All children love receiving mail, and it's likely your child doesn't receive much as it is. Make a point to write a letter to your child once a week while you're in jail, and make sure to include plenty of positive statements, such as how much you can't wait to see them. Resist the urge to write negative notes expressing anger or depression because that will only fill your child with concern. Instead, keep all communication light and positive.

Leave Something Behind

If you have a favorite hat or shirt, you might want to give it to your child to hold while he or she goes to sleep. Things like this can help you stay in constant contact with your child while in jail, and it doesn't require that you actually see your child to be effective. This can help your him or her fend off loneliness while you're away, and keep you fresh in his or her mind for when you return.

Make Phone Calls

Depending on the prison system in which you've been incarcerated, you might be allowed daily, weekly or monthly phone calls to family. The telephones in prisons are monitored, so privacy isn't exactly forthcoming, but you can talk to your child on the phone a few times to remind him or her you are there. You'll be surprised how much a ten-minute call once a week can improve your child's morale.