Rutgers—Camden resource center works to support families of incarcerated individuals

Researchers part of the National Resource Center on Children and Families of the Incarcerated (NRCCFI) at Rutgers—Camden have been focused on providing resources to support families of the incarcerated, according to a University press release. 

Laura Napolitano, the chair and associate professor in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice at Rutgers—Camden, along with her team, aims to facilitate more in-person visits that would allow incarcerated individuals to maintain their relationships and make reintegration into their communities easier. 

Integrated into the campus in October 2013, the NRCCFI hopes to bring awareness to the almost one million people in jails and prisons who are thought to be parents, according to the release. 

Working with the Camden County Correctional Facility, the NRCCFI is currently researching more about the parents who are incarcerated and how to best care for the mental and physical health of their children. 

"This work can have a direct and positive impact on the entire family during the period of incarceration and beyond," said Napolitano.