Suffolk sheriff aims to make jail’s visiting room more welcoming for children

Children visiting inmates at the county jail in Riverside will have a more cheerful environment in the visiting room, thanks to a large, colorful mural recently painted on one of the cement block walls.

The mural was painted by Diana Fogarty of the Huntington-based non-profit, Splashes of Hope, at the request of Suffolk County Sheriff Vincent DeMarco.

The idea originated with a corrections officer, Sgt. B. Conway.

“It’s an effort to improve the visiting experience, because we’ve learned it’s important in the rehabilitation process. Families tend to stay together when children come to visit their parents. When families remain intact, the inmate does better after release,” DeMarco said.

This is the the first mural created inside a jail by the organization, which usually works inside hospitals.

Splashes of Hope’s mission is to promote healing through artwork, said Fogarty, a volunteer with the organization, which was founded in 1996.

Fogarty said when she went to the jail’s visiting room for the first time, it struck her how bleak the room was.

“I tried to put myself in the minds of children visiting there, to imagine what it was like for them,” she said.

“When you look out these windows, there’s not a lot of hope. So I tried to create other windows to another, better world, where there is light and beauty and joy,” Fogarty said.

The mural depicts characters from a book created by the group called Friend on the Mend. The organization has provided copies of the books to the jail for distribution to visiting children, Fogarty said.

“We hope that it sparks conversation and helps people to focus on the parent-child relationship, on something that is nurturing, warm, loving and and comfortable,” she said.

“I tried my best to get light and love in every square inch of these panels,” Fogarty said. “I think this room needs it desperately.”

That’s true of inmate areas inside the jail as well, DeMarco said. He’s arranged with Splashes of Hope for an art professor to come to the facility to teach inmates in the youth tier program to paint a mural.

Funding for the mural was donated by Babylon resident Theresa Santmann, who was on hand for the unveiling.

“This certainly brought spirit to a darkened room and will help children who are coming to visit their parents,” said Liz Stokes, a volunteer who works with female inmates.

Inmate Christine (last name withheld) said the mural “brightens up this place amazingly” and would cheer up kids who come to visit. “It’s not a nice thing to see your family sitting in jail.”