Parents in Prison The difficulties every parent faces in raising their children are multiplied when that parent is incarcerated. Yet, the children's need for a relationship with a parent remains. Some important work is being done to involve incarcerated fathers meaningfully in the lives of their children. Sadly, the daunting challenges of mothers in prison are getting less attention. The absence of a father is acutely felt in homes of prisoners. Men aren't relieved of their responsibilities as fathers when they enter prison; nor should children be deprived of a relationship with their father due to their fathers' imprisonment. "There is no greater factor in determining the success of kids than dads.  Father absence is the engine driving social breakdown, social pathology and social costs." Says Don Eberly in the Winter 2002 edition of  Jubilee: The Magazine of Prison Fellowship Ministries.  Eberly is the deputy director of the White House Office of Faith-based and Community Initiatives and the founder of National Fatherhood Initiative. There are several organizations working to create and foster relationships between incarcerated fathers and their children: * Great Dads   www.greatdads.org * National Fatherhood Initiative   www.fatherhood.org * Family and Corrections Network, Long-Distance Dads www.fcnetwork.org   On the broader topic of the important role fathers play in the lives of their  children, the Manhattan Institute released a study on the relationship between men's involvement in religious and non-religious civic organizations and the extent to which they are actively engaged in their children's lives. To see the results visit this site: www.manhattan-institute.org/crrucs2001_4.pdf