As of 2024, Kentucky had the seventh highest rate of incarceration in the world, with over 89 thousand individuals moving through the justice system last year. Around 12% of the state's youth have been impacted by this issue, having experienced a parent or guardians' incarceration. This experience can result in youth feeling abandoned, sad, and angry, as well as led to behavioral challenges, lowered academic performance, and future involvement with the justice system. These effects are less likely to occur when the youth is provided with opportunities to visit with the duration of their parents' incarceration. 

In Frankfort, there were more than 300 youth that had a parent incarcerated at the Franklin County Regional Jail within a thirty-day period. For these families, visitations have been restricted to video visits. This system of visitation does not provide youth with a full emotional or physical connection that can help mitigate the negative outcomes of parental incarceration. 

At the Franklin County Regional Jail, the 4-H Living Interactive Education (LIFE) program works to arrange in-person visits for youth who have incarcerated parents. This is program is supported by the Wanda Joyce Robinson Foundation, who helps identify parents and families at the jail who have an interest in the program. The program meets with the incarcerated parents to provide positive youth development skills to help support a stronger family before arranging an in-person visitation at the jail. In-person visits are held in the jail gym, where all of the parents and youth come together to participate in crafts, games, and 4-H activities. These visits promote more natural interactions between the parents and youth, including physical contact. 

For the have been two 4-H LIFE visitations so far, with a total of 10 participants. 3 were incarcerated parents (2=female and 1=male) and 7 were youth participants (2=female and 5= male). Additionally, there were 3 jail staff and 1 Wanda Joyce Robinson Foundation staff member there to help with supervision and program delivery. 

Following one meeting, a jail staff member said that “this was really good for them” and that “they had a lot of fun” when talking about the interactions between the parents and their youth. When following up with the parents, they were each asked how their youth felt about the in-person visits. One parent stated that their youth thought “it was really cool to get to see mom” and another parent said their youth “already wanted to know when they would get to come back”. 

Additionally, the Wanda Joyce Robinson Foundation shared about the program on their Facebook page, receiving a large amount of community support. One community member commented, "This is how we rehabilitate people. Connection, love, and support" while individual shared "Finally something good for parents and kiddos of incarcerated individuals".