Kaohsiung Second Prison’s comprehensive family assistance and care service targets inmates whose families include elderly relatives living alone, minor children, or family members with physical or mental disabilities. When the primary breadwinner is incarcerated and the family’s finances fall into hardship, social workers conduct assessments and, in addition to reporting cases to the Social Safety Net and referring them to social welfare agencies, the prison continues to provide ongoing care and follow-up support. Through condolence payments and essential living supplies, the program helps inmates’ families weather difficult times.

In this particular family assistance case, the inmate’s mother lost her financial support when her child began serving a prison sentence. Elderly, living alone, and in poor health, she relied each month on a government subsidy for low- to middle-income seniors. After paying rent, she had just over NT$2,000 left for living expenses. Social workers visited her home in person, provided a condolence payment and daily necessities, and assessed her situation while offering information on relevant welfare resources. They later coordinated with partner agencies to help her successfully obtain eligibility under the Category 2 Low-Income Household program, increasing her monthly subsidy by NT$6,825 and easing her financial burden.

After receiving the additional subsidy before the Lunar New Year, she called the social worker to share that, due to insufficient living expenses in the past, she had survived each month on instant noodles or steamed buns. Now, with her situation improved, she finally felt able to buy a chicken drumstick boxed meal—something she had not allowed herself to purchase for an entire year. She expressed deep gratitude to the social workers at Kaohsiung Second Prison for their support, which has given her life a renewed sense of hope and dignity.