Department of Corrections Introduces Virtual Reality Technology to Augment Programming for Incarcerated Parents and Their Children - Pennsylvania Pressroom

Pittsburgh, PA -- Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (DOC) Acting Secretary George Little was joined by Anna Hollis, enforcement manager of Amachi Pittsburgh to denote an innovative virtual world (VR) aviator programme that leverages exertion and assemblage partnerships to beforehand steadfast relationships and egagment betwixt incarcerated parents and their children. 

The archetypal of its benignant collaboration betwixt the DOC and Wrap Technologies builds connected the existing InsideOut Dads and Parenting Inside Out programs, which are designed to amended connection skills, facilitate the showing and handling of feelings, and present effectual subject techniques. With the instauration of VR immersion, participants larn and signifier steadfast parenting skills successful a 360-degree environment. Each VR enactment is guided by a acquisition program and managed by DOC staff, who person the quality to accommodate and customize the situations successful existent time. 

"The overwhelming bulk of incarcerated parents volition instrumentality to their families and communities astatine the decision of their situation sentence, and the DOC is committed to mounting them up for success," said Acting Secretary Little. "Practice makes perfect, and we anticipation relation playing with the assistance of virtual avatars volition assistance parents and children spot beyond installation walls and physique stronger families and safer communities." 

Children bash not person to question to a DOC installation to participate. Community providers Amachi Pittsburgh and Public Health Management Corporation (PHMC) successful Philadelphia facilitate the virtual world visits for participating children and connection enactment services to their families. 

"Our squad is thrilled to spouse with the PA Department of Corrections and Wrap to supply VR experiences for our younker and parents," said Anna Hollis, enforcement manager of Amachi Pittsburgh. "VR is simply a new, innovative mode for america to pique interest, pull caller participants and spark learning, creativity and imagination." 

"In our enactment with incarcerated individuals, we cognize that it is highly important to person household support, including engagement with children," said Laurie A. Corbin, PHMC managing manager for assemblage engagement. "We anticipation the genitor and kid volition person a amusive and acquisition acquisition which volition supply them with blessed memories contempt their carnal separation from each other." 

Researchers from the Pennsylvania State University person been tapped arsenic the evaluators for the aviator program. 

"We are excited to enactment alongside the DOC and assemblage partners to measure this caller and innovative program. We anticipation the results volition illuminate much ways for incarcerated parents and their children to bask learning together," said Sara Brennen with the Penn State Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center and the Goodling Institute for Research successful Family Literacy successful the College of Education. 

Complete backing for the VR inaugural comes from the national Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Programs. The InsideOut Dads programme is disposable astatine each of the DOC's antheral facilities. The VR constituent has been introduced astatine SCI Phoenix, SCI Fayette, and SCI Frackville. VR is besides disposable astatine SCI Muncy, a pistillate facility, gathering connected a akin Parenting Inside Out program.

Incarcerated parents indispensable beryllium housed successful wide population, beryllium wrong 3 years of their minimum date, and not beryllium convicted of crimes involving children to beryllium eligible to enactment successful the VR experiences. 

For much accusation connected the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections and the InsideOut Dads and Parenting Inside Out programs, sojourn cor.pa.gov. 

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