INMATES HELP DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN

Children who have lost their hair because of illness are getting help from an unlikely source: female inmates serving time in the Arizona Department of Corrections.

On March 21, 313 inmates at the Arizona State Prison Complex-Perryville cut their hair so the “locks” could be used to make custom-fitted hairpieces for financially disadvantaged children   suffering from long-term medical hair loss.


   Inmates donate hair to help ill children.
   See Photo Gallery

Not only did the female offenders give their cut hair, the inmates paid $20 for those haircuts and donated additional money with proceeds going to Locks of Love. Inmates raised more than $6,000 for Locks of Love.

"We are encouraged by the number of inmates participating in the Locks of Love program," said ASPC-Perryville Warden Denny Harkins. "It’s a chance for many of these women to do something positive and give back to the community."

Hair Designer Rolf and a crew of approximately 20 designers were escorted into the prison and cut more than 104 feet of hair. Last year, ADC inmates at ASPC-Perryville donated 144 feet and several hundred dollars to Locks of Love.

“I am proud of staff’s efforts to create opportunities for inmates to give to others in need. Their teamwork with community-based organizations like Locks of Love is outstanding,” added Department Director Dora Schriro.

The hairpieces made by Locks of Love, a national non-profit organization, help children restore their self-esteem and confidence, and enable them to face the world and their peers. Most of the children who receive hairpieces from Locks of Love have lost their hair due to a medical condition called alopecia areata, which has no known cause or cure.

Return To Latest News