The Carroll County Detention Center in collaboration with the the Family Law Administration, the Carroll County Local Management Board have started a program to reduce generational incarceration.

The Family Ties program is the first in the state to allow incarcerated parents and children to meet weekly and have contact visitation — outside of the detention center. The visits occur at the county Visitation Center which is operated by the Family Law Administration.

The Carroll County Times reports:

For an hour at a time, incarcerated individuals in the program can meet with their minor children in person. They are able to hold them and interact with them — no glass, no phones.

Along with the visitation comes mandatory participation in the 14-session Strengthening Families program, which has been around since the 1990s and is tailored to improving parenting skills and family relationships. The curriculum used by Family Ties is adapted to be more useful for incarcerated individuals.

For more information read The Carroll County Times.