Carlos Cervantes still remembers what it felt like to be a teenager in a cell, navigating the justice system as a young person. At 16, he was incarcerated at a time when visiting with family usually came with metal detectors, shackles, or speaking through a pane of glass.  

The system he went through, he noted, was one where youth were routinely placed in facilities where they were “on lockdown, with no programming, surrounded by prison politics, gangs, and drugs.” 

That experience is part of what fuels Cervantes’ work today as Director of Community and Reentry Partnerships at the Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC). In 2022, he got a call about a pilot grant from the Office of Youth and Community Restoration (OYCR). The ask was simple in theory: could ARC help families visit their incarcerated loved ones at Pine Grove Youth Conservation Camp—families who faced steep barriers like cost, distance, or lack of transportation. 

What followed was Family Engagement Services: an OYCR-funded program that helps families overcome  barriers to visit loved ones at Pine Grove Conservation Camp and Growlersburg Conservation Camp. Research consistently shows that strong family engagement improves outcomes for youth who are system-involved. A report from the Vera Institute of Justice highlights that when families are meaningfully involved in their child’s experience in the justice system, youth experience fewer behavioral incidents, improved mental health, and higher educational achievement. Programs like the Family Engagement Services program reflect a broader commitment across California to place families at the center of youth rehabilitation and reentry. OYCR recognizes that meaningful family connection is not only healing for young people, but is essential to building a justice system rooted in community. 

The support offered in the program includes everything from transportation and meals to overnight lodging at ARC’s peaceful ranch in Fiddletown, where families can rest, reconnect, and begin planning for life after incarceration. 

At each visit, part of the ARC team’s role is to help families plan for what comes next: gathering vital documents, exploring programs and job opportunities, and preparing for the daily realities of reentry. 

Now, the program is in full swing, bringing families from across California to Pine Grove and Growlersburg Conservation Camps. Families come to the ranch for a weekend of connection, fun, and food. On Saturdays, they visit their loved ones and bring a meal to the visiting center—usually something not normally available in the facility. On Sundays, the youth barbecue for their families, and everyone eats together. 

“We’re embracing each other with a hug, taking selfies, they’re letting us know that they trust us with their family’s lives,” Cervantes said. “And that’s a big deal.” 

The emotional weight of these visits is real. “By the end of the first day, it’s heavy,” Cervantes said. “There’s hurt, there’s anger, there’s all the things they’ve been carrying. We’re training our staff to be ready for that—to help families start healing together.

The program has served over 100 families and helped spark conversations around reentry planning, healing, and what it means to return home. When young people feel supported by their families, they’re more likely to succeed. That’s the impact of family engagement, and the reason OYCR is committed to making sure families are not just included, but centered in every step of the process.