News

“The Candle” and “The Recipe”: Empowering the Children of Incarcerated Parents

By Guest Author: Jessie D. Mabrey

The Impact of incarceration is a long-lasting domino effect. People are harmed, property is lost, families are destroyed, and some one male, or female is locked up as a result for harm to property or another individual. So many victims. We constantly speak of the effect on the victims, the rights of the victims, the need for the victims to be heard, the right for the victims to be supported. Yet we leave out the most helpless victims of all. The children of incarcerated parents. So why is the impact of incarceration a domino effect? Because the children of incarceration fall and few pick them up!

“The Candle” is a short documentary that captures the raw impact incarceration has on
children in the voice of adult children. The story is told through the lens of experience and empathy. It stands as a moving tribute to the voices often left in the shadows that through the documentary are now seen, heard, and felt. “The Recipe” is the guide that answers the call to action.

Through “The Recipe” churches, schools, conferences, reentry programs, community and child welfare organizations can come together to become the village
needed to support these children. Retired social workers, therapist, clergy, church
ministries, teachers, etc. can spend a few hours a month with an incarcerated child and
change the trajectory of a child’s mental, spiritual, and physical well-being.

I am an advocate, speaker, author, and expert on the impact of incarceration on children, drawing from both professional insight and powerful lived experience. I use my voice to advocate for the millions of children left in the shadows of the justice system leading conversations on trauma, healing, and resilience, and speaking for conferences, schools, reentry programs, and child welfare organizations nationwide.

My advocacy centers on creating safe spaces, informed policy, and storytelling that empowers children of incarcerated parents to be seen, supported, and heard. Through storytelling, art, and advocacy, I am building a new legacy: one rooted in
healing, justice, and the belief that no child should ever feel invisible.

Listen to our full conversation with Jessie about her film, “The Candle,” her guide “The Recipe,” and her personal experience as a parent who has experienced incarceration on our in house Podcast ACE-ing Grief, Season 2 Episode 5.