Issue link: https://tmcpulse.uberflip.com/i/1099222
12 t m c » p u l s e | a p r i l 2 0 1 9 In the past, visitors might wait in line for nearly an hour before learning they were at the wrong location, Lee said. Today, the jail lobbies are staffed with volunteers carrying iPads loaded with inmate information. They can quickly tell visiting families which of several jail buildings houses their loved ones, and whether those inmates have had visitation rights suspended. But the single greatest need facing these fami- lies is food, said Nancy Correa, senior community initiatives coordinator for public health and pri- mary care at Texas Children's Hospital. Financial hurdles can arise quickly when a breadwinner is placed behind bars and other family members suddenly become responsible for a child they weren't planning to support. There's also a serious emotional toll on fam- ilies, said Melinda Garcia, coordinator for Angel Tree, a support group for children of incarcerated parents and their caretakers that meets monthly at Second Baytown Church. Children may feel anxiety, shame, confusion, depression or anger when a parent is in jail or prison. Often, schools can't provide help because the family doesn't inform school leaders of the situation. And some families don't even tell chil- dren when a parent is jailed. Instead, they provide creative excuses, such as 'Mom is on a business If I put myself in their shoes—a child's shoes—I'd be scared. It's a chaotic process they're observing. The buildings are intimidating. There's nothing friendly about it. — MAJ. MIKE LEE Leader of the Mental Health and Jail Diversion Bureau, Harris County Sheriff's Office trip' or 'Dad is training to be a superhero.' "Part of the issue is the caregivers don't know the duration they'll be in jail," Correa said. Given those needs, the jail hopes to provide information to caretakers on how to talk to kids about incarceration and to connect them with agencies and nonprofits that can provide finan- cial, emotional or mental health support. Jail officials know that some critics may scoff at their attempts to embrace a softer side, arguing that jail is supposed to be unpleasant. But Lee is adamant that family members shouldn't suffer from poor treatment. After all, those families haven't been accused of crimes, and most of the people in jail haven't been convicted. Jail leaders also believe addressing the trauma facing these kids is just the right thing to do. "Regardless of what the adults in their lives may have been accused of," Gonzalez said, "we want to make sure [these children] have an opportunity." Maj. Mike Lee stands outside of the 1200 Baker Street Jail in Houston.