As many as two million children in the U.S. have one or more parents in prison or jail.  Studies show as many as 70 percent of these child will fall into the same pattern and end up in prison at some point in their own lives.

Researchers have estimated at least 4,500 children under 18 in Oklahoma have a mother in prison. The state doesn’t keep track of the numbers of children whose parents are incarcerated, but tough sentencing laws have contributed to an Oklahoma incarceration rate that is No. 4 in the nation and No. 1 for women.

Bill Hamrick served for fifteen years as Executive Director of Turley Children’s Home (now Hope Harbor), and then as Church Relations Director.  Bill began regular work in Tulsa County prison systems in 2007, and now teaches three classes weekly at David L. Moss Center (Tulsa County Jail), and weekly at Dick Conner Correctional Center in Hominy. His material includes the Faith & Character program in the Medium Security Unit and classes in the Minimum Security Unit. Bill teaches over two-hundred and fifty New Life Behavior correspondence students in 14 Department of Corrections facilities across Oklahoma.

To contact Bill regarding parent training classes in prison settings, you can call (918) 630-8465 or e-mail turley1@aol.com.