A sixth grader once expelled from kindergarten for trying to stab his classmates in the hope that his aggression would reunite him with his father — a murderer serving life in prison — is an honor roll student these days, and on his school’s basketball team. A 17-year-old girl with a father imprisoned more often than not was tossed out of four schools in four years because of violent behavior, drug abuse, and failing grades, but today she is a high-school graduate enrolled in college.
One in 28 children in America have a parent in prison compared to one in every 125 just 25 years ago because jails have become dumping grounds for non-violent offenders with challenges that could be better addressed elsewhere, claims the award-winning founder of Children of Promise, New York City, a community-based organization in BedfordStuyvesant for children of convicts.
“Children are the collateral damage of high incarceration rates,” says Sharon Content, whose group provides after-school, summer day camp, mentoring, mental health, spoken word, and art therapy, among other support services. “They are serving time alongside their parents.”
Children of prisoners can face neglect and stigmatization in a reproaching society unequipped with a public policy or a government agency in place to address their needs, she adds.
“When a child loses a parent to divorce or death there is a level of compassion we display towards that child, but that same empathy does not exist for children of the incarcerated,” says Content, 46, who gave up a career in finance on Wall Street to work with at-risk youngsters.
She formed her organization six years ago to offer options and provide a structured environment for children and families of prisoners to express themselves openly and without judgement. Her after-school and summer day camp are the city’s first for children of prisoners, and her licensed, outpatient mental health clinic allows youngsters to acknowledge feelings of anger, denial, and loss without consequence.
“You see a social worker when you are behaving badly in school, but here everyone embraces mental health services as being part of the activities,” says Content, who created a shuttle-bus service with a donation she received from the “Secret Millionaire” television show so that children could visit their parents in prison more frequently.
The youth advocate’s Midas touch is compelling, claims her vice president of mental health services.
“We’ll walk into Sharon’s office for a meeting and there’ll be six teens in there wanting to tell her about their day,” says Anna Morgan-Mullane. “You can see that she makes time for every child,”
The rewards are self-evident for the Woman of Distinction, who has created a safe space for forgotten youngsters, destigmatized their distress, and replaced their isolation with inclusion.
“A small boy came up to me once and said he had a secret to tell me, and when I asked him what it was he said his father was in jail,” says Content. “I told him, ‘Everybody here has a father or mother in jail.’ ”
OCCUPATION: Founder and president.
COMPANY: Children of Promise, New York City.
CLAIM TO FAME: Creating a safe space for children who have been forgotten by society.
FAVORITE PLACE: My bedroom.
WOMAN I ADMIRE: First Lady Michelle Obama for retaining her individuality while serving our nation.
MOTTO: Children matter.
