WJRF

News release

FRANKFORT — The Wanda Joyce Robinson Foundation (WJRF), which advocates for and serves central Kentucky children and youth impacted by incarceration, has announced that it has started a new initiative with GTL to offer one hour of free video visitation time each week for a child to talk to a loved one currently incarcerated in a correctional facility.

“There are over 135,000 Kentucky children — 13% of Kentucky’s youth — currently experiencing the pain and hurt of having one or both parents behind bars,” stated Dale Robinson, founder of WJRF. “Due to their situations, many of these kids do not have contact with their incarcerated loved ones. Through GTL’s generosity, we are now able to help a different child each week communicate with an incarcerated loved one — talk to them, see their face, share experiences and lift everyone’s spirits.”

Video visitation offers benefits to both the children impacted by incarceration and their loved ones behind bars. Studies have shown that successful reintegration into society is more achievable if inmates communicate often with their support system, especially their children, at home.

The WJRF was founded in 2018 by Dale Robinson, Krista Hudson and Amy Snow to break the cycle of generational crime and incarceration in central Kentucky by improving outcomes for affected youth. A former inmate and father of two, Mr. Robinson transformed his life and became a successful business owner, motivational speaker, and advocate. Hudson and Snow were moved by Robinson’s story, success, and vision for serving kids left behind like his own, and together they created the Wanda Joyce Robinson Foundation.

GTL is a correctional technology leader dedicated to working side-by-side with correctional facilities to implement technologies that benefit not only facilities through operational efficiency and safety but also incarcerated people through increased connection and improved opportunities for successful re-entry.