For Collie “Shaka” Long, the work of supporting justice-impacted families is deeply personal.

After spending more than 26 years incarcerated, Long knows firsthand that incarceration does not only affect the person serving time. It touches children, parents, partners, caregivers and entire communities. That understanding helped inspire him to create the Family First Program, a mentorship and family engagement initiative housed within Georgetown University’s Prisons and Justice Initiative.

Founded by Long, a formerly incarcerated PJI Program Associate, Family First was created to strengthen relationships between parents and their children through mentorship, educational opportunities and shared experiences. At its core, the program seeks to interrupt cycles of intergenerational incarceration by giving families space to reconnect, heal and build memories rooted in hope.

“Family First was born from the belief that when parents and children can laugh together, learn together, and create positive memories together, they strengthen the bonds that help families thrive,” Long said.

The program comes at a critical time. Across the country, incarceration continues to impact far more people than those who are sentenced. Children with incarcerated or formerly incarcerated parents often face emotional, social and economic challenges. Parents returning home may also struggle to rebuild relationships after years of separation.

Family First addresses those challenges by creating intentional opportunities for connection and trust-building. Rather than only responding to the harm caused by incarceration, the program focuses on prevention. It helps young people envision positive futures while strengthening the family support systems that can be essential to long-term success.

For Long, the mission is rooted in both memory and responsibility.

Growing up, he witnessed the effects of incarceration in his own family and community. For many young people around him, prison was normalized and often viewed as an inevitable part of life. After his release, Long began working with Georgetown University’s Prisons and Justice Initiative and saw the strong support offered to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals. Still, he noticed a gap.

There were few programs focused specifically on the children and families affected by incarceration.

“I wanted to create something that would help break the cycle before it continued into another generation,” Long said.

Through Family First, families participate in a range of educational, recreational and community-centered experiences. The program supports financial literacy workshops that give families practical tools for economic success. It also hosts family outings, holiday celebrations and community gatherings designed to foster belonging and connection.

Mentorship is another key part of the program. Family First connects young people with positive role models and community leaders who can help broaden their sense of what is possible. The program also supports educational enrichment, including visits to colleges and universities that expose youth to higher education and career pathways.

One example is Family First’s partnership with Georgetown University’s Center for Multicultural Equity and Access. Through the partnership, children of PJI alumni participate in campus tours that allow them to see themselves in college spaces and imagine futures that may have once felt out of reach.

These experiences are about more than a single trip or event. They are designed to create moments that can change how young people see themselves and their families.

By centering both parents and children, Family First offers a model of reentry that goes beyond employment, housing or individual support. It recognizes that healing must also happen within families. It acknowledges that children need opportunities to feel seen, supported and inspired. It also affirms that parents returning home deserve spaces where they can rebuild trust, share joy and strengthen their role in their children’s lives.

For Long, that is the heart of the work.

Family First is not simply about addressing the consequences of incarceration. It is about helping families write a different story—one grounded in connection, opportunity and the belief that the next generation can move beyond the criminal legal system.

Through mentorship, education and shared experience, the program is giving justice-impacted families something powerful: a chance to grow together.