SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Officials at the San Francisco jail are lowering the minimum age of a person visiting a parent or sibling who is an inmate.
Officials have dropped the minimum age from 18 to 16 years old.
The San Francisco Sheriff’s Department believes the new minimum visiting age is the youngest in the state.
Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi says the policy will help maintain family connections during incarceration and strengthen reunification upon release.
The sheriff’s department estimates there are 1,000 children with incarcerated parents in San Francisco. Its estimated that one-third of those children regularly visit their incarcerated parents.
San Francisco allows visits between parents and children every Saturday morning.
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