Through Connections, Lutheran Social Services of Illinois (LSSI) provides services and programs for incarcerated parents and their families.

• Visits to Mom provides approximately 900 visits annually for children to keep in touch with mothers during their incarceration. Free bus transportation is available to Decatur, Greenville, Lincoln and Pekin Correctional Centers. Sixty volunteer drivers provide transportation (via cars) from the Chicago area to prisons at Dwight and Sheridan Correctional Centers.
• Relatives As Parents Program (RAPP) is a support group for caregivers who accompany children visiting parents at the Decatur and Lincoln Correctional Centers. While children visit their parents, caregivers meet for support and informative meetings. Some follow-up services are available in Chicago.
• Re-Entry Services are available for women who have left prison and are returning to the Chicago area. Connections staff members conduct in-prison orientation sessions, as well as individual support and therapy sessions after the individual’s release from prison. The Re-Entry program links women who are re-entering the community with area resources, such as food pantries, job training programs and substance abuse treatment services.
• Saturday Surprises is a monthly program for children ages 6-11 whose mothers are incarcerated. Volunteers take the children on field trips and to enjoy a meal.

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