Father-daughter duo create app for kids with parents in prison

Brut America

While in prison, this father had trouble keeping in touch with his young daughter. So they created an app together to make sure families stay connected with their incarcerated loved ones... for free.

Transcript

00:00We made the app specifically for kids, and it's funny, JJ, my daughter, I taught her

00:15how to code when she was about 10 years old, and she built the app when she was about 12.

00:20So it's built by kid for kids, and that's what like really speaks to how user-friendly

00:26the app is.

00:56So kids can come to our app and download the app totally for free from the App Store, from

01:07the Google Play Store, and literally just create a profile for themselves, which is

01:11like their return address and their name, and then also a profile for their incarcerated

01:16loved one.

01:17It could be a mom, their dad, uncle, or auntie who played a significant role in their life.

01:22And once those two profiles are created, you can make them in about five minutes.

01:27Next step is just to type a letter, attach some photos, and press send.

01:32And the cool thing is once they press send, it all comes to us, and we print it out, package

01:37it, and we actually physically ship it to the prison or jail that the incarcerated loved

01:42one is in.

01:43And once again, it's totally free, and our software is kind of there just for super convenience,

01:49to maintain those bonds.

02:00I'm pretty sure more kids have a cell phone than they do a computer, so it will be way

02:05more easier to have them be able to use the app than go on the website and be able to

02:10send pictures and stuff, which the website is still cool, it's still good for people

02:14to use, but an app will be way more convenient.

02:17So getting that out there so people can just quickly use their phone, take a picture, send

02:21a letter right there from their phone, would just be even more easier and way more convenient,

02:26especially for kids.

02:34I've seen my dad teaching people, and we wanted to be able to do it for kids, too, make a

02:41more easier course for kids.

02:43At first, we were going to do it together, but I was like, no, I kind of want to do this

02:47by myself.

02:48You know, we can just come together on a different level, so from kid to kid, and now other people

02:54seeing this will get inspired as well, like, wow, this kid is teaching other kids how to

03:00code at this young of an age.

03:01So I wanted to be able to have that type of impact.

03:03So we were at like five, 600 letters per month, average, so on some months around holidays,

03:15we may get like 1,000 people to use it, but now we are like 1,500, 1,600 people using

03:21it every month.

03:22And these are families, they're kids, and their parents helping them use it because

03:26visitations are shut down, phone calls are either expensive or the lines are very long

03:32and people can't get on the phone.

03:34So yeah, this app is really helping people stay connected.

03:47So I love to go to different routes and try out anything because sticking in a box, like,

03:53I don't like to be stuck in a box, like people just think I can do one thing.

03:56I can code, but I like this, too.

03:58I can do this, but I can do this, too.

03:59So being able to have that freedom and paths to do anything, I feel like by the time I

04:04get 18, I'll probably have mastered a whole bunch of different stuff.

04:07So not being known for just one thing, but multiple things.

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