A jail in Louisiana is helping to mend familial wounds after organising an emotional ‘father-daughter dance’ to restore the bond between offenders and their loved ones
A prison has left millions in tears after it held a “father-daughter dance” in the hopes of restoring bonds between families. The jail, one of America’s highest security prisons, opened its doors to help try and mend wounds caused by crime.
Louisiana State Penitentiary is one of the most secure prisons in the country, housing some of the nation’s most dangerous criminals. However, in a new pilot scheme, officers at the jail are trialling a way to restart relations between offenders and their loved ones.
For one night, Louisiana’s largest prison opened a “father-daughter dance” between men who are in jail, whilst their children are on the outside. The event proved to be incredibly emotional, with everyone breaking down in tears in the touching moment.
According to CBS, this is the latest in a series of pilots aiming to help criminals reconnect with their families. More and more institutes have trialled the event, including one in Washington DC that was featured in Netflix doc “Daughters” last year.
Officials in the Louisiana prison have said that the event was so successful, this event could become more regular and even become a tradition, much like its annual prison rodeo. With over 6,300 prisoners — including several on death row — the site is huge and also is home to immigration detention centres set up by the Trump administration.
Speaking to the station through a phone interview, inmate Leslie Harris admitted that he was left in tears being able to dance with his darling daughter. He currently is being held in the prison serving a decades-long sentence for armed robbery.
Believing he would not be able to take his 17-year-old to prom, he admitted he was thrilled to be able to have a moment with his child. Sporting a customised tuxedo and a bouquet of roses, Leslie broke down as he was able to give his daughter a tight hug to Stevie Wonder’s track “Isn’t She Lovely”.
“Seeing her in a dress, crying and running to me just broke me down,” he said of the moment, which went viral after being shared on social media. “It made me think of all the years I missed out on in her life.”
Leslie was one of 30 inmates who was allowed to take part in the move due to good behaviour and other factors. Assistant Warden Anne-Marie Easley explained the idea was to help the prisoners feel less like inmates and more like dads in the hopes of making new bonds with families.
The dance was also set up in collaboration with the prison’s Bible college as well as God Behind Bars, which helps to facilitate reunions through religious events. Many prisoners who attended the dance said they were sorry for the years they missed because of being in prison, while others said it was the most important visit of their lives.
Leslie said the best part of the evening was when he and his daughter were able to slow dance to the song “Butterfly Kisses”, a song about a father’s undying love for his daughter. Leslie said he was overcome with memories and emotions of times he spent with his child.
“That’s really the heart of it at the end of the day,” said Jake Bodine, founder of God Behind Bars. “Show these individuals who is counting on them and once they realize the weight of that, they will hold themselves accountable for change.”
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