Preparing The Family For A Life Time Sentence

When a long term jail sentence is unavoidable, the next best thing to escaping the sentence is planning for the sentence. If someone in the family is going to prison for decades, including a possible life sentence, the whole family will need to prepare themselves legally, emotionally, and financially. The time for planning is in advance of the final sentencing so that everyone has a smoother transition. Here are some things to do when a close family member is going to prison for life. 

Speak to Legal Counsel

The first step that you want to make is to higher a good attorney who is experienced in life sentence cases. An attorney who has represented those who are facing a life sentence may be able to help with appeals or negotiations for lesser charges and a shorter sentence. Just because a person has been sentenced does not mean that the sentence is final. Consult an attorney with expertise in fighting life cases in order to find a person to advocate for your family member. 

Hire a Life Sentence Consultant

There are people specifically in place to help lifers and their families adjust to a new normal. Just because a person goes to prison does not mean their needs stop. Prisoners are still able to have a financial life and a will still need to work on their mental health, self-esteem, and managing familial relationships. Life sentence consulting can help prisoners and their families get started with their transition into a facility. The families of lifers can also prepare for what family life will look like with their relative on the inside of prison walls. Changes such as a phone call schedule, teaching the children how to write letters, and methods of being there for one another despite physical distance are important new life skills.

Start Seeing a Counselor

Prison will be hard for everyone involved. Children will feel the absence of their parent. Siblings will miss being able to have their brother or sister around for family events. The person who is in jail will have many years interrupted and have to get used to an entirely new way of life. Everyone should enroll in counseling in order to be granted the tools to have a happier lifestyle, despite current circumstances. A family therapist for group sessions, plus individual counselors that can work with patients remotely will help everyone in the family with the mental changes that come from loving a lifer.