What timing! Here I am thinking about what to ask Dr. Washington tonight about keeping a marriage healthy while a spouse serves prison time and Diane Sollee just announced another award to the Ridge Project.
The Ridge Project is a Christian marriage education program in Ohio with a 24 week program called Keeping FAITH: Keeping Families And Inmates Together In Harmony. The latest award comes from the US Dept of Health and Human Services, Office of Family Assistance, which named it a best practice and a premier grantee.
Their latest results show a 5% recidivism rate 18 months after release from prison. This compares pretty darn well with an average of 15% back in the system within just a year and 25% within three years.
They do it by teaching communications and character.
Diane Sollee awarded the Ridge Project the prestigious Impact Award at the 14th Annual Smart Marriages Conference in Orlando, FL last year.
As a best practice exemplar, the Ridge Project was visited this week by Centerforce (CA), San Quenten Prison (CA), New Jersey Department of Corrections (NJ), Oakland Livingston Human Services Agency (MI), ICF International (VA), and the National Fatherhood Initiative (PA) to see how they do it.
Bravo, Ron and Cathy Tijerina, for creating the Ridge Project and taking yet another award!
For the children of these couples, anything that helps their parents stay together during a prison sentence and helps their incarcerated parent come home to an intact family and stay on the right side of the law must mean a world of difference across their entire lifetime.
Ridge Project Keeps Families Intact, Dads Out of Prison
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