Prisoners whom are the primary caregivers of their child in a self-care unit are eligible to apply for either child support or family assistance for the child.
In the case of child support (i.e. funds taken from the child’s fathers earnings) the prisoner must:
be separated from the father of the child permanently – not just due to incarceration i.e. they do not plan to reunite once released
have the child’s birth certificate with the child’s father on it.
In the case of family assistance (i.e. government funded) the prisoner must:
be able to prove lack of income
have the child’s birth certificate, (prisoners will be responsible for the provision of the child’s birth certificate. If they cannot supply the birth certificate they will be responsible for the replacement cost of the certificate).
It is the prisoner’s responsibility to provide food, clothing and other necessities for her child from the financial assistance received.
