MIAMI – About 300,000 children in Florida have a parent in jail or prison, according to the Casey Foundation, one of the nation’s largest private philanthropic groups.
Now a local non-profit is making “Miami Proud” by helping families recover from the trauma of incarceration when they return to their communities and their loved ones.
It’s called the “300 Letters.”
That’s how many letters Amanda Tarver exchanged with her husband Legend Tarver while incarcerated. It was their experience as a family during that time that motivated them to help others just like them.
“I am a person who experienced incarceration the first time I ever got in trouble,” said Amanda Tarver.
Amanda Tarver, along with her husband Legend Tarver, was indicted back in 2014 while she was pursuing a career in the medical field and he had just received his bachelor’s degree from Florida International University.
“I was feeling so many mixed emotions, so much guilt, frustration, I had a lot of anxiety. The years ahead of me felt like a lifetime,” said Amanda Tarver.
“The two jobs I had still wasn’t enough so I just started selling drugs to continue to educate myself. I went and got an education. I attained my bachelor’s degree in December and then I was indicted in January the next year,” said Legend Tarver.
Amanda Tarver, a mother of a six-year-old, was sentenced to two years. She found out she was pregnant with her second son when she reported to prison in 2015. It was her experience as a mother in prison that opened her eyes.
“A majority of the people I met in prison were first-time offenders. I’d say 90% of the women, moms, were first-time offenders and that took me back immediately because I couldn’t believe how many moms were pulled away from their children,” she said.
Legend Tarver had a similar experience during his sentence.
“The most common denominator was just people who were impoverished and just didn’t have much to start off with. They didn’t maybe have guidance and there’s a lot of single-family homes as well,” he said.
According to a report from the Prison Policy Initiative, 47% of people in state prisons are parents to minors.
Living through that journey as a family led to the birth of the 300 Letters organization. The Tarvers’ goal is to break the cycle and keep families together.
So far they have three programs. Their Healing Hearts provides therapy and resources for families as they acclimate back into society and help with child care. 300 Heroes helps caregivers for children while their parent is incarcerated and the Mindset Perspective and Soul workshop where they go inside the Homestead corrections women facility.
“What we focus is on teaching women about the resources of rehabilitation while they’re incarcerated. So we’re mentally prepared because reentry starts the day you get incarcerated. You have to be prepared for everything that will come along with this experience,” said Amanda Tarver.
The Tarvers say they eventually want to grow 300 Letters nationwide.
Send us your story at MiamiProud@cbs.com
