A father-daughter dance was held at an unusual location when Miami Federal Detention Centre transformed a meeting centre into a ballroom to host the first daddy-daughter dance for inmates.
According to the Miami Herald, 13 inmates and 20 daughters gathered in the makeshift ballroom, in an effort to help inmates engage with their children ahead of their eventual release from prison.
The girls attending, who ranged from four to 18-years old, were invited to attend the event which was restricted to prisoners deemed minimum security, non-violent offenders.
The prisoners dressed in tuxes and performed a choreographed dance for the girls to The Temptations’ classic My Girl.
Federal Bureau of Prisons Director Charles E. Samuels Jr told the young women:
“You are a key to the success of your father.”
One inmate, Michael Rangel, told the Miami Herald:
“I haven’t been there for so many special moments. I talk to them and email them all the time, but it’s not the same as being there.”
Rangel’s daughter also told the paper:
“I wanted to dress up to look pretty for my daddy.”
According to the paper, the evening cost $600, which was apid through an inmate trust at no cost to the taxpayer.
The Miami dance was the first event held in a federal prison in the states.
Story via Miami Herald