lucillebruise:

washingtonpost:

A father-daughter dance — in jail

“Everyone is on their best behavior. The fathers pull out their daughters’ chairs and rise when their daughters come back to their seats after being away, manners they learned in their fathering class. Some huddle and share family and schools news. One daughter charms her dad into promising she can have a summer pass to Kings Dominion.

But then “The Wobble” comes on and that gets everyone moving and laughing — for a few minutes, the event turns into a silly, sloppy dance party. “Dad!” Alexis laughs, like any daughter embarrassed by seeing her father busting loose. And then she joins in, jumping forward, leaning to the right and waving her hands in the air. 

 But when it’s time to leave, even the jail guards, some crying, say they feel the ache. The inmates and their daughters all get their photographs in paper frames to keep.”

Photos by Marvin Joseph, story by Emily Wax