Supporting Parents and Children During Incarceration: Evaluation of the Parenting Inside Out Program in Wisconsin State Prisons

OVERVIEW: In 2020, the Wisconsin Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board (CANPB), researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-MADISON), and the Wisconsin Department of Corrections (WI DOC) partnered to implement and evaluate Parenting Inside Out (PIO-90).1 The four participating prisons included Green Bay Correctional Institution (GBCI), Milwaukee Women’s Correctional Center (MWCC), Taycheedah Correctional Institution (TCI), and Robert E. Ellsworth Correctional Center (REECC).2 Parenting Inside Out is an evidence-based, cognitive-behavioral parent management skills training program that promotes parenting skills and parent-child bonds through effective communication, problem-solving strategies, positive reinforcement, monitoring, and constructive discipline.

In support of the project’s goals, the UW-Madison team led implementation and evaluation activities between October 2020 and June 2024. This included the provision of training and technical assistance to facilitate the delivery of PIO in the four prisons and the collection of surveys completed by participating parents. WI DOC employees including social workers and other trained staff delivered the program. The evaluation set out to answer the following questions:

1) Is participation in PIO associated with change in behaviors, attitudes, and skills related to parenting and family relationships? 2) What are parents’ experiences in the PIO program?

This brief summarizes findings from the evaluation drawing on surveys completed before and after the program by 99 parents who finished the program.3

Read the full brief.