San Quentin Held Its First Father-Daughter Prom, Reconnecting Incarcerated Dads With Their Kids

One inmate‘s organization created a monumental event that had a lasting impact on his fellow prisoners who are girl dads.

In April, what was initially supposed to be a “Family Night” turned into the first-ever Father-Daughter “Parent Prom” held at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center’s chapel. The event allowed fathers the chance to reconnect with or meet their daughters for the first time in a special way, according to KTVU. This was made possible by Tram Nguyen, who has been incarcerated for 22 years and is one of the imprisoned members of The People in Blue, a prison reform advocacy collective.

“I recognized that the majority of these people that came to prison, that committed crimes, also came from a dysfunctional home,” Nguyen told KTVU. “A lot of the incarcerated people come from underserved communities, single-parent households.”

What led to San Quentin’s first father-daughter prom?

Before the event took place, Nguyen helped create an eight-week educational program called Family Communication Workshops. The mission of these assemblies was not only to support the 18 men who voluntarily participated personally but also to “strengthen communication and improve emotional intelligence and understanding within families”—something Nguyen understood firsthand through his self-work.

In these classes, there were engaging lessons and conversations to help them look inward and get to the root of some of the mental and emotional anguish that had impacted their dynamics with relatives. They pledged to keep consistent, open lines of communication with their daughters and the rest of their families.

“We walked through some of the most healthy aspects of family dynamics, like communication skills and emotional intelligence, helping everybody to understand where their emotions come from and how it leads to certain behaviors and how to cope in healthier ways,” Nguyen explained.

Following the shadow work, 16 of the fathers were able to unite with their daughters. The occasion was filled with excitement and heartfelt tears as they stepped onto a red carpet to kick off a night of music, dancing and games. The memorable event was endorsed by the association Friends of The People In Blue. Morgan Hubbard, who is part of the coalition of stakeholders, shared how emotionally moving the entire production was for all involved.

“The entire event was extremely touching and heartening. There was not a dry eye in the house for MOST of the day!!! Lots of happy tears and smiles,” Hubbard said, per KTVU.

San Quentin’s first father-daughter prom was a night to remember

Nguyen reflected on the program’s unexpected momentum, noting, “I was surprised how much attention and how big it got towards the end.”

“I never let them know that we were going to have a family night. So they did it because they wanted to improve their relationship with their family,” he added. “I think they were confused at the same time because they were in prison. It was something that they did not expect that could really come through.”

Building on that moment, Nguyen recalled the workshop’s touching finale, which occurred at the “Parent Prom.”

“The daughters all handed over the completion certificate to the father, and the fathers wrote a letter to express their appreciation and love for them, especially the renewed love and appreciation for them for participating in the workshop and what that meant for them,” he explained.