Santa in Prison Program

A number of children in Florida are filled with a sense of abandonment, loneliness, and shame through no fault of their own. It comes from having a Mom or Dad in prison.

Children with a parent in jail or prison are teased more often at school. Some internalize the stigma and experience lower self-esteem, especially if they identify with the incarcerated parent. Others may react with anger, defiance, and a desire for retaliation against those who reject and taunt them.

The Saint Dismas Prison Ministry Foundation has a program called SANTA IN PRISON. This program reaches out to the children of inmates who might not otherwise receive a gift at Christmas.

On Christmas morning, when children come to the prison to visit their fathers, he or she receives a Christmas gift personally, from Saint Dismas Board members or the prison Chaplains. Since 2006, Board members Deacon Don Battiston, and Deacon George Kinard and their wives, have distributed the gifts.