An advocacy group is pushing for county jails such as Butler's to expand their contact visitation policies for families and children visiting their incarcerated parents.

Pennsylvania-based Dads Resource Center advocates for fathers-to-be who are involved in their children's lives, even if there are jail bars separating them.

The organization recently conducted a survey with the help of the Prison Society to find out how many county jails in the state allow for physical contact visits between inmates and their children. The survey found that 28 jails — out of 50 that responded — do not allow inmates to show their children physical affection during family visits. Butler County Prison, which acts as the county's jail despite its name, is one of those jails. A total of 22 jails in the state allow for contact visits.

This is an excerpt from a story that appears in Sunday's Butler Eagle.