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Resources for Connection

Navigating the justice system can feel like finding your way through a maze — confusing paths, unfamiliar signs, and high stakes at every turn. You don’t have to figure it out alone. The organizations and resources listed below are here to help you find the right path, whether you’re searching for answers about incarceration, parole, legal rights, reentry support, or simply someone who understands what your family is going through.

Here’s a starter “resource map” for Kentucky families. It’s focused on organizations or sites that are either Kentucky‑specific or widely used nationally by families of people in prison.

1. Kentucky Corrections & Reentry (Official State Resources)

Kentucky Department of Corrections

  • What it is: State agency over prisons, probation, and parole. Central place to start for locating facilities, understanding rules, and linking to reentry services.
  • Key uses for families: Facility information, visitation rules, mail and phone guidelines, inmate locator, policy documents.
  • Website: corrections.ky.gov
  • Contact:

Division of Reentry Services – KDOC

  • What it is: State division focused on helping people prepare to return home and connecting them to housing, employment, and treatment.
  • Key uses for families: Learn what reentry programs exist in facilities, who to ask about release planning, and where to look for help after release.
  • Website: corrections.ky.gov/Reentry/Pages/default.aspx
  • Contact:
    • Phone (central office): (502) 564‑2220 (ask for Reentry Services)

Kentucky Online Offender Lookup (KOOL)

  • What it is: State inmate locator for people in KDOC custody.
  • Key uses for families: Confirm where someone is housed and basic status information.
  • Website: kool.corrections.ky.gov/KOOL/AdvancedSearch
  • Contact: Use KDOC main number above if information seems incorrect.

2. Family & Peer Support (Kentucky‑Focused)

Kentucky Families of the Incarcerated

  • What it is: Faith‑based support network for families with incarcerated loved ones in Kentucky (often connected to Catholic prison ministry).
  • Key uses for families: Peer support, prayer, practical tips, and connections to local help; often active via social media.
  • Website: www.catholicprisonministries.org/listing/kentucky-families-of-the-incarcerated
  • Contact:
    • Email (via listing contact form)
    • Facebook page: “Kentucky Families of the Incarcerated”

Bounce Coalition – Children of Incarcerated Parents Resources

  • What it is: Kentucky nonprofit focused on childhood trauma and resilience, including parental incarceration.
  • Key uses for families: Education for caregivers, programs that help children process a parent’s incarceration, links to local partners.
  • Website: bouncecoalition.org → search “parental incarceration”
  • Contact:

Kentucky Youth Advocates – Children of Incarcerated Parents Resources

  • What it is: Child advocacy organization that has compiled tools and guides for kids with an incarcerated parent in Kentucky.
  • Key uses for families: Guides for caregivers, policy information, and referrals to child‑serving agencies.
  • Website: kyyouth.org (search “children who have a parent incarcerated”)
  • Contact:

3. Legal Information & Rights

(Not legal representation, but places where families can learn how the system works.)

Kentucky Department of Public Advocacy (DPA)

  • What it is: State public defender agency.
  • Key uses for families: Understanding the role of public defenders, locating local DPA offices, and learning about appeals or post‑conviction options.
  • Website: dpa.ky.gov
  • Contact:
    • Main office: 5 Mill Creek Park, Frankfort, KY 40601
    • Phone: (502) 564‑8006

Kentucky Court of Justice – Online Services

  • What it is: Official site for Kentucky’s courts.
  • Key uses for families: Case search (CourtNet), court locations, forms, and information about criminal procedure and appeals.
  • Website: kycourts.gov
  • Contact:
    • Administrative Office of the Courts: (502) 573‑2350

Human Rights Watch – Kentucky Prison Resources Page

  • What it is: A compiled page listing basic Kentucky DOC and advocacy contacts.
  • Key uses for families: Quick reference for DOC mailing address and general inquiries, plus national advocacy information.
  • Website: www.hrw.org/news/2010/07/08/kentucky-prison-resources
  • Contact: Uses KDOC information listed above.

4. Reentry & Practical Help (Housing, Jobs, Transportation)

Kentucky Reentry Resources Directory (Right on Crime)

  • What it is: Curated list of reentry services in Kentucky, including government and nonprofit programs.
  • Key uses for families: Finding help with housing, jobs, IDs, treatment, and mentoring when a loved one is coming home.
  • Website: rightoncrime.com/kentucky-reentry-resources/
  • Contact:

Kentucky Career Center

  • What it is: State workforce system with programs that often work with people leaving prison.
  • Key uses for families: Job search, training, and support for a returning loved one.
  • Website: kcc.ky.gov
  • Contact:
    • Phone (general): (502) 564‑7456
    • Local career centers listed by county online.

Local Reentry Coalitions / Community Ministries

  • What they are: City or county‑level networks (often in Louisville, Lexington, etc.) that combine churches, nonprofits, and government programs serving people after incarceration.
  • Key uses for families: Support groups, mentoring, housing, clothing, and transportation.
  • How to find: Search “[your county] KY reentry coalition” or ask probation/parole officers or chaplains in the facility.

5. National Faith‑Based & Emotional‑Support Resources

Prison Fellowship – Family & Friends Support

  • What it is: National Christian prison ministry with programs in some Kentucky prisons and extensive online resources.
  • Key uses for families: Devotionals, family connection guides, Angel Tree resources for kids, and referrals to local churches engaged in prison ministry.
  • Website: www.prisonfellowship.org/resources/support-friends-family-of-prisoners/
  • Contact:

NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) – Kentucky

  • What it is: Mental‑health advocacy group with a Kentucky chapter.
  • Key uses for families: Support groups for relatives of people living with mental illness (including those incarcerated), education on navigating treatment and crisis.
  • Website: namiky.org
  • Contact:

Sesame Street, “Little Children, Big Challenges: Incarceration”

  • What it is: Free videos, storybooks, and caregiver guides for young children who have an incarcerated parent.
  • Key uses for families: Age‑appropriate ways to talk with kids about jail/prison, printable activities.
  • Website: sesameworkshop.org/topics/incarceration/
  • Contact: Online resources only; feedback form on the main site.

6. Information & Advocacy About Kentucky’s System

Kentucky Center for Economic Policy (KCEP) – Criminal Justice Research

  • What it is: Policy group that publishes accessible reports on incarceration and reentry in Kentucky.
  • Key uses for families: Understanding the bigger picture—sentencing, fines/fees, probation rules—and how they affect loved ones.
  • Website: kypolicy.org/topic/criminal-justice/
  • Contact:
    • Phone: (859) 986‑2373
    • Email via website contact form

ACLU of Kentucky – Smart Justice

  • What it is: Civil‑rights organization working on bail reform, conditions of confinement, and prisoners’ rights.
  • Key uses for families: Learning about legal rights, following legislation, and connecting to advocacy campaigns.
  • Website: www.aclu-ky.org/?s=Smart+Justice
  • Contact:
    • Phone: (502) 581‑9746
    • Intake/assistance form on the website

7. Lives on Mission Ministries – Resource Guide

Holding On & Moving Forward – “Staying Connected When You’re Apart” Handbook

  • What it is: A free online handbook for families of the incarcerated, focused on staying connected, spiritual encouragement, and practical guidance.
  • Key uses for families: Step‑by‑step ideas for writing, visiting, coping with stigma, and walking with God through incarceration.
  • Website / Download: livesonmission.org → “Holding On & Moving Forward” (QR code/landing page from your flyer)
  • Contact: Use the contact information listed on your Lives on Mission Ministries site or Facebook page.

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