Observances

September 30, 2022 by

National Recovery Month is observed every September to promote and support treatment and recovery practices for Americans suffering from substance use and mental illness. With a permanent theme of “Every Person. Every Family. Every Community,” Recovery Month serves as a reminder that recovery is for everyone, and that everyone can live healthy and rewarding lives.

According to the National Institutes of Health, about 45 percent of incarcerated individuals in local jails and state prisons simultaneously struggle with substance use and psychological disorder. With addiction being so common in jails and prisons, addressing substance use disorders within correctional facilities helps guide individuals towards recovery and lowers the risk for relapse after release.

At ViaPath Technologies, we understand that support from loved ones is a key factor when showing up for those struggling with behavioral health and substance abuse. That’s why we are committed to providing incarcerated individuals with the support they need to help improve the individual’s wellbeing during and post release.

Through our Inspire Tablets, we are able to offer helpful tools and resources that help incarcerated individuals heal from recovery and adopt new habits. The resources that we have made available can be accessed by individuals inside of a correctional facility and post-release:

Breaking Free from Substance Abuse assists individuals in achieving and maintaining recovery from dependence on over 70 different substances.
Through an exclusive partnership with Dr. Christian Conte, a mental health specialist in the field of anger and emotional management, we are able to provide unique content and videos via our Inspire Tablets, that focus on helping incarcerated individuals address their mental and emotional health.
Peace Education Program from the Prem Rawat Foundation is a program with 10 thought-provoking themes helping participants discover a renewed sense of purpose, including how to use their own inner resources and lead more fulfilling lives.

For you and your formerly incarcerated loved ones, there are many national organizations and initiatives focused on recovery treatment paths and living a substance-free life: ·

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) – Provides information and resources on beginning a journey to recovery and finding local substance abuse and mental health treatment.
Addiction Resource – Provides relevant information related to addiction and addiction treatment, helping individuals and their families who struggle with addiction, substance use disorders, and mental health disorders by providing up-to-date, accurate, and evidence-based information, connecting individuals with treatment providers, and facilitating initial assessments.
Rehab Spot – Provides information on overcoming addiction and finding a treatment based on a person’s location, budget, and needs, specifically focusing on properly managing traumatic experiences, such as incarceration, as those affected often try to escape their pain through drug or alcohol use.
Sunshine Behavioral Health – Offers information on how people in recovery can still receive treatment and support during quarantine and shelter-in-place orders.
Volunteers of America – Provides hundreds of human service programs including housing and healthcare for America’s most vulnerable groups, including returning citizens and those recovering from addictions.

If you or someone you love are looking to start on the road to recovery, SAMSHA’s treatment locator can assist in matching your needs with the right treatment option. Recovery is a journey, but every journey begins with a single step.

About ViaPath Technologies

ViaPath provides advanced communications, technology and management solutions that facilitate meaningful connections, provide educational opportunities, and enable successful reintegration for previously incarcerated individuals. ViaPath is headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, with an employee presence throughout North America. To learn more, please visit viapath.com.

June 19, 2022 by

This Father’s Day, millions of children from coast to coast will make plans to travel, visit, or call their father or the father figure in their lives. Tragically, more than 18 million U.S. children, 1 in 4, are without a biological, step, or adoptive father in their lives.

Fathers are critical to the developmental success of their children. On aggregate, those without a father figure in their lives fall short of their peers who come from two-parent families. Children without a father at home account for over 60% of youth suicides, 90% of homeless and runaway youths, and more than 70% of all high school dropouts. These children experience higher levels of juvenile delinquency, substance abuse, and aggression as compared to their peers.

For many of these children, it may also be the case that their fathers have been or are incarcerated. Among parents who are incarcerated, 92% are fathers. The number has grown fourfold over the last 40 years. The impact on the families left behind is immeasurable and often difficult to repair as family members grieve the temporary or permanent loss of an incarcerated person.

For the betterment of children at home, staying connected is key to limiting the negative effects of an incarcerated parent.

Distance, time, and access to a means of communication all play a role in keeping families connected with their loved ones serving prison sentences. A 2015 Prison Policy Initiative report found that more than 60% of inmates in state prisons are serving out their time more than 100 miles from friends and family. And among those who are less than 50 miles from home, only half receive a monthly visit. It takes time and effort to travel long distances to visit loved ones, and despite the barriers to in-person visits, research clearly shows that family engagement provides positive effects for both children and incarcerated people.

Thankfully, a technological revolution in corrections facilities has occurred today, in large part due to the coronavirus pandemic. Lockdowns of federal and state prisons shut off incarcerated people from family visits and critical social support services, making the need to establish communication with loved ones all the more urgent. While friends and family members used FaceTime or Skype during the pandemic to stay in touch, incarcerated people were left behind without equal access. Now, after the implementation of computerlike tablets within prisons, those people have a wide array of online communication tools to stay in touch with loved ones, pandemic or not.

Family engagement when a loved one is incarcerated serves a dual purpose. Connection allows families and children of incarcerated people to feel the presence of their parents and stay updated on their children’s lives. It also allows incarcerated people to reintegrate into society more easily. A 2011 study by the Minnesota Department of Corrections showed a 13% lower risk of recidivism in inmates who received prison visits versus those who did not receive them. The study also found that the risk of re-conviction dropped by 3% with each additional visitor received by the inmate.

Staying in touch with loved ones is key to the success of reintegration. While there is no replacement for in-person visits with loved ones, technology has enabled corrections facilities to travel light-years from where we started. For Father’s Day, let us all remember those without father figures in their lives and encourage those who may have fallen out of touch, for any number of reasons, to connect with their loved ones.

Tony Lowden, former White House executive director of the Federal Interagency Council on Crime Prevention and Improving Reentry, is vice president of reintegration and community engagement for ViaPath Technologies. He is also the pastor and spiritual adviser to former President Jimmy Carter and first lady Rosalynn Carter.

About ViaPath Technologies

ViaPath provides advanced communications and management solutions that facilitate meaningful connections, provide educational opportunities, and enable successful reintegration for 1.6 million incarcerated individuals. ViaPath is headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, with an employee presence throughout North America. To learn more, please visit www.viapath.com.

May 5, 2022 by

At ViaPath Technologies, we continue to emphasize the importance of diversity, inclusion, and belonging. We want to take the opportunity to recognize another group of people who have enriched America’s history and are instrumental in its future success.  

May is Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month – recognizing and celebrating the achievements of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. The annual recognition began in 1992, and the month of May was chosen to commemorate the immigration of the first Japanese individual to the U.S. on May 7, 1843.  

It’s a great time to explore the history, traditions, and culture of Asian and Pacific Islander citizens in the U.S. Following is a list of resources that can provide additional information on the importance of this month: 

To celebrate Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month, we’ve highlighted a few leaders whose contributions still make an impact today.

Jaden Kim – Marine Corps Pilot

The first time that Marine Corps Captain Jaden Kim rode in a military aircraft, she nearly fell out of it in her excitement. Her passion for aviation led her to train as a “backseater” – a weapons system officer who coordinated target locations. During her first deployment in 2002, she took part in Operation Enduring Freedom, flying missions over Afghanistan for six months; and deployed again in 2003 to assist in Operation Iraqi Freedom. In her interview, she discusses her sense of profound obligation and dedication to the ground troops she was supporting.

Learn more.

Derald and Stanley Sue – Brothers and Founders of Asian American Psychological Association

The two Chinese American brothers were influential figures in ethnic minority psychology, a subfield of psychology concerned with the science and practice of psychology with racial and ethnic minority individuals and groups. In 1972, the Sue brothers founded the Asian American Psychological Association. Dr. Derald Sue is best known for his work on multicultural counseling and racial microaggression, and Dr. Stanley Sue is best known for his work on cultural competence in psychotherapy with Asian Americans and ethnic minorities.

Learn more.

Dalip Singh Saund – First Asian American Congressman

In 1954, Dalip Singh Saund became the first Asian American elected to the U.S. Congress. He was born in India in 1899, and he came to the United States to study math in 1920, eventually earning his doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley. Saund moved to Southern California during the Depression, where he worked as a farmer for more than 20 years before starting his own fertilizer business in the early 1950s. Though he became politically and socially active, Saund was unable to run for office because federal law prevented him from becoming a U.S. citizen. After working to overturn that policy, he became a citizen in 1949 and soon ran for office as a local judge. He served four years as a judge before being elected to Congress in 1954.

Learn more.

Victoria “Vicki” Draves – First Asian American Olympic Medalist

Unlike many Olympians who began practicing their sport from a very young age, Victoria “Vicki” Draves didn’t start diving until the age of 16. Only six years later, she earned her first national diving title.

Draves truly rose to prominence in 1948, after participating in the London Summer Olympic Games, where she won gold medals from both the 3-meter springboard and 10-meter platform; the first female diver to achieve that feat. She was also the first Asian American to win an Olympic medal. After the Olympics, Draves toured the United States and Europe performing in a water extravaganza show and ended her career teaching children swimming and diving.

Learn more.

The information provided in this post is intended for your general knowledge only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment for specific medical conditions or diseases. Please consult your healthcare provider with any questions or concerns you may have if you are experiencing depression or any other medical condition. ViaPath Technologies does not control or take responsibility for the content or information on any external website not managed by ViaPath.