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Bringing families together: a county jail in Pittsburgh works to alleviate trauma for children.

Article Excerpt
A visit to the Allegheny County jail in Pittsburgh used to be stressful for inmates' loved ones and their children.

The sounds of frustrated guards and harried parents yelling at children rebounded off the walls in the lobby of the 16-floor facility. The area resembled a 1940s Greyhound bus station; rows of steel chairs faced vending machines that provided a constant temptation during waits that stretched out for hours.

A result: Many parents chose not to bring their children to see their fathers, mothers, uncles and grandparents.

A visitor from the old lobby might not recognize the new one.

Since its opening in 2007, it has often been chockfull of children playing and waiting to see loved ones. Gone are the mold, chairs and the vending machines, replaced by bright blue and yellow walls, a wooden bench that marks a carpeted area for children to play and create artwork to hang on a wall. Volunteers and paid staffers help adults peruse resources about how to get a GED or sign up for parenting classes. Far from the dreaded experience that used to creep at an agonizingly slow pace, waiting is now something that many children don't want to end.

The lobby's transformation, which involved hundreds of individuals and organizations volunteering their time, is just one part of an unusual, if not unique, collaboration in the country to meet the needs of children...