Prison Place

California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Opens New  Family
Foundations Program Facility in Fresno

FRESNO – The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR)  
today held a formal dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony for its third
Family  Foundations Program (FFP) facility. It is located at 2855 W. Whitesbridge  
Avenue, Fresno. It will be operated under contract by WestCare California
Inc.,  a non-profit organization founded in 1973, and serve up to 35 women and 40  
children up to the age of six.
This smaller community-based program for female offenders is one of the key  
components of our prison reform efforts,” said CDCR Secretary James Tilton. “
By  providing the opportunity for these women to live with and be parents to
their  children, we hope to break the intergenerational cycle of incarceration
that we  see all too often. By opening the third such program in California’s
Central  Valley, we will be able to provide the type of wrap-around services
commonly  provided by community-based programs. It also allows for more family
visiting  with inmates’ families and friends within closer proximity.
The contract award was for $7.2 million over a five-year term. WestCare  
California, Inc. has nearly 35 years of experience operating therapeutic  
community drug treatment services in community-based, residential, and in-prison  
treatment environments. WestCare’s comprehensive experience includes substance  
abuse treatment and relapse prevention programs; parenting skills development;  
child development services; vocational skills training; ancillary services;
and  services to special populations that includes pregnant, post-partum and  
parenting women.
This is a wonderful opportunity for West Care to collaborate with the CDCR,  
said Maurice Lee, Regional Vice President for WestCare California, Inc. There
is  a tremendous benefit to working together to serve our clients in this  
community-based setting.  
The Family Foundations Program is a community-based residential- type setting  
for non-serious, non-violent female offenders, the majority of whom have been
 convicted of drug-related offenses. On-site services include parenting
skills,  health services, child development services, and vocational skills
training.  Residents have the benefit of support groups and assistance to establish
and  enhance close ties with their young children. Additionally, the mothers
share  cooking and cleaning chores and learn life skills to help improve their  
employability.
The Family Foundations Program was created by the State Legislature in 1994  
when then-Sen. Robert Presley (R-Riverside) sponsored legislation establishing
 The Pregnant and Parenting Women’s Alternative Sentencing Program Act. Each  
facility houses 35 women and up to 40 children. Overseeing each facility is a
 CDCR Correctional Counselor III, who supervises a staff of vocational and  
academic instructors, substance abuse counselors, and others. Sen. Presley, as  
Secretary of the Youth and Adult Corrections Agency, oversaw implementation
of  the first two programs. They are located in Santa Fe Springs (Los Angeles  
County) and in San Diego.