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Family Council

The Department of Corrections (DOC) recognizes the benefits when inmate's maintain family relationships during incarceration and supervision and acknowledges the many barriers that make maintaining these relationships difficult. In an effort to address these barriers, the Department established and maintains family councils.

About Family Councils

Family councils advise, collaborate, problem solve, and partner with the Department and the community to:

  • Improve communications with the Department,
  • Create opportunities to strengthen family and community connections,
  • Improve quality of life for those incarcerated,
  • Promote successful reentry,
  • Provide family input on related policies and operational memorandums, and
  • Address local and statewide issues/concerns that affect a broad range of those incarcerated and their families

Family is broadly defined to include immediate, extended, and elected family members, such as romantic partners, friends, neighbors, and clergy. Department employees and council members work together to bring awareness to the family councils to encourage participation. (Participation is strictly voluntary.)

Local Family Councils

Each prison facility maintains a Local Family Council (LFC). Family council meetings provide opportunity for family members to ask questions, get information, and share their perspective of the facility. All approved visitors may attend a family council meeting. See the LFC Representatives with questions.

In addition to family members, meetings are generally attended by the facility Superintendent or Associate Superintendent, Visiting Program staff representative, Family Services Program staff representative, and others as needed. At most facilities participants can attend in person or over the phone by calling in on a toll free number.

Scheduled Meetings, Agendas & Minutes

The LFC Facility Secretary and Family Secretary member officers will each take minutes during the meeting, and then will work together to finalize a single draft of official minutes using DOC 03-513 Family Council Meeting Minutes (ms word document).

Up to two years meeting's agendas and minutes will be posted for each LFC. See the LFC Representatives with questions.

See the Local Family Council Calendar (pdf) for all meeting dates.

COVID-19 Informational Calls

The department felt it necessary and appropriate to inform families regarding ongoing updates to facility operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Each correctional facility in outbreak status (pdf) has regularly scheduled informational calls providing information from those who are in the facility working through the COVID-19 pandemic response. Minutes from these calls are available on the facility-specific local family council webpages. See the COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions for more information about informational calls.

Participants

Family members who want to be on a facility's Local Family Council must be an approved visitor at that facility and agree to demonstrate commitment, integrity, honesty, good judgment, cooperation, professionalism, respect, courtesy, and work within department rules, regulations and policies.

Statewide Family Council

The Department maintains a Statewide Family Council (SFC) comprised of one elected representative from each Local Family Council (LFC), along with the Statewide Program Manager. Any family member who is approved to visit an inmate housed in a Department facility may attend an SFC meeting as a participant. See the list of SFC Representatives.

Meeting Details

Location

See most recent meeting agenda (pdf)for virtual meeting and call-in information.

Meeting Schedule & Materials

See the Statewide Family Council Calendar (pdf) for all statewide meeting dates.

(audio) = a portion of this video is audio-only

Meeting Date Meeting Agenda Meeting Materials
May 20, 2023 Agenda (pdf)
March 18, 2023 Agenda (pdf) Minutes03/18/2023 (pdf)
January 21, 2023 Agenda (pdf) Minutes01/21/2023 (pdf)
November 19, 2022 Agenda (pdf) Minutes11/19/2022 (pdf)
September 17, 2022 Agenda (pdf) Minutes09/17/2022 (pdf)
July 16, 2022 Agenda (pdf) Minutes07/16/2022 (pdf)Recording 07/16/2022 (YouTube video)
May 21, 2022 Agenda (pdf) Minutes05/21/2022 (pdf)Recording 03/19/2022 (YouTube video)
March 19, 2022 Agenda (pdf) Minutes03/19/2022 (pdf) Recording 03/19/2022 (YouTube video) a portion of this video is audio-only
February 25, 2022 Not Available COVID-19 Teleconference Minutes02/25/2022 (pdf)
February 18, 2022 Not Available COVID-19 Teleconference Minutes02/18/2022 (pdf)
February 11, 2022 Not Available COVID-19 Teleconference Minutes02/11/2022 (pdf)
February 4, 2022 Not Available COVID-19 Teleconference Minutes02/04/2022 (pdf)
January 22, 2022 Agenda 1/22/2022 (pdf) Minutes1/22/2022 (pdf) Recording 01/22/2022 (YouTube video)
December 17, 2021 Not Applicable COVID-19 Teleconference Minutes12/17/2021 (pdf)
November 20, 2021 Agenda 11/20/2021 (pdf) Minutes11/20/2021 (pdf) Recording 09/18/2021 (YouTube video)
October 22, 2021 Not Applicable COVID-19 Teleconference Minutes10/22/2021 (pdf)
September 24, 2021 Not Applicable COVID-19 Teleconference Minutes09/24/2021 (pdf)
September 18, 2021 Agenda 09/18/2021 (pdf) Minutes09/18/2021 (pdf) Recording 09/18/2021 (YouTube video)
August 26, 2021 Not Applicable COVID-19 Teleconference Minutes08/26/2021 (pdf)
July 24, 2021 Agenda 07/24/2021 (pdf) Minutes07/24/2021 (pdf) Recording 07/24/2021 (YouTube video)
July 23, 2021 Not Applicable COVID-19 Teleconference Minutes07/23/2021 (pdf)
June 25, 2021 Not Applicable COVID-19 Teleconference Minutes06/25/2021 (pdf)
June 11, 2021 Not Applicable COVID-19 Teleconference Minutes06/11/2021 (pdf)
May 15, 2021 Agenda 05/15/2021 (pdf) Minutes05/15/2021 (pdf) Recording 05/15/2021 (YouTube video)
May 14, 2021 Not Applicable COVID-19 Teleconference Minutes05/14/2021 (pdf)
April 30, 2021 Not Applicable COVID-19 Teleconference Minutes04/30/2021 (pdf)
April 16, 2021 Not Applicable COVID-19 Teleconference Minutes04/16/2021 (pdf)
April 2, 2021 Not Applicable COVID-19 Teleconference Minutes04/02/2021 (pdf)
March 20, 2021 Agenda 03/20/2021 (pdf) Minutes03/20/2021 (pdf) Recording 03/20/2021 (YouTube video)
March 19, 2021 Not Applicable COVID-19 Teleconference Minutes03/19/2021 (pdf)
March 5, 2021 Not Applicable COVID-19 Teleconference Minutes03/05/2021 (pdf)
January 22, 2021 Not Applicable COVID-19 Teleconference Minutes01/22/2021 (pdf)
January 9, 2021 Agenda 01/09/2021 (pdf) Minutes01/09/2021 (pdf)
January 8, 2021 Not Applicable COVID-19 Teleconference Minutes01/08/2021 (pdf)