Corrections Criminal Justice the Development

Corrections Criminal Justice

The development of sustainable programs to keep children and incarcerated parents connected is crucial to the elimination of a serious generational risk pattern, as children with limited positive influence from parents and other caretakers tend to elicit limited positive decision making. "Hidden within the war on drugs is another war whose captives are mothers. Almost 70% of all incarcerated women are mothers." (Golden, 2005, p. 1) There has also been a significant increase in the number of women in prison today, as a result of tougher minimum sentencing, crime focus demographics and general opportunity demographics. (Conley, 2006, p. 192) ("The Bright Side of," 2003, p. 97) According to Hale, the number of women in prison is increasing at a staggering rate -- there has been a 500% increase since 1980, according to the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO).... Housing these female inmates without effective rehabilitation and transition programs will only contribute to a cycle of incarceration." (Hale, 2001, p. 33)

Women and their families must be offered sustainable programs that encourage sustainable and successful transition out of prison. Additionally, children of these inmates have a dire need for some semblance of a relationship with their mothers' to stave off feelings of desertion and also develop as normal as possible concepts of the changes that are occurring in the lives of their mothers' while they are incarcerated. Many of the children in this situation are being cared for in an environment that does not include family or are generally at risk for a whole plethora of social, academic, economic, psychological and educational obstacles that are a result of the situation they are in, in its entirety.

One of the most significant aspects of this growing problem is that these children are often isolated from their mothers' by distance and/or lack of ability for the system to engender meaningful exchanges between the mothers and children. The system has a significant number of obstacles to contend with, i.e. security of children, limited resources for programs and last but certainly not least transportation. Another logical obstacle is that institutions and the systems in which they exist have no real historical precedent for the situation in this scale. (Winifred, 1996, p. 168) Mother's and children have historically been separated from one another during incarceration of women as a logical aspect of the punishment in which women endure as a result of crime. Yet, it is just recently that the social work, psychology, education and criminal justice systems have become aware and interested in the difficulties this separation creates not for the adult mother's but for the children they leave behind. Additionally the time the mother's lose with their children can often not be made up later, and social and emotional destruction can have a permanent effect on the relationship, this fact also in many cases outweighs the fact that children experience stress when visiting parents in prison.

Program/Proposal:

When discussing the issue of transition, out of prison with women inmates they often stress the importance of offering their children a better life. One of the ways they frequently mention that they would like to do so is by achieving a higher level of education. Many would like to complete their high school diplomas and/or vocational training. Additionally, many express the desire to help their children experience the positive aspects of education. It is for this reason that this project/program will revolve around the concept of a homework study buddy program. (Golden, 2004, p. xviii) the lives they led prior to arriving in prison often limit educational goals and many women go to prison without having achieved even a high school diploma or GED or have little work experience due to the stress and strain of parenting and difficult home situations. Though it is not to say that all inmates come from poor backgrounds and have little education but many do, and the stress and strain of motherhood usually further challenges the situation. (Hale, 2001, p. 33) Prison may in fact be one of the first places in their lives where they have had time to think and develop a sense of self and a sense of the future. Many incarcerated mothers often feel, for good reason that they have been deliberately removed from decisions made regarding the future of their children. (Golden, 2004, p. 35)

Safety:

Non-violent inmate mothers of school aged children, who are enrolled in the high school completion course or vocational training will be screened for incident reports occurring within the last six months, to ensure the safety of staff and children and to help give the overall population incentive for good behavior. Any individual inmate who is serving time for a drug conviction will also have to screen for drugs or alcohol and have completed the 6-week drug program.

Due to the fact that there will be direct contact between the children and their mothers, children will be asked to follow the strict dress code for direct contact visitation, and will be asked to leave all but necessary school work behind in the visitor's lockers. Any child who is caught entering the prison with any item on the list of contraband, will be asked to discontinue the program. Any inmate who is found asking for contraband or who is caught with contraband directly after the homework session will be banned from the program. Protocol for supplies will be the same as for inmate classes at other times. The classroom will also hopefully serve as a neutral and familiar place for both the children and the inmate to spend time, and hopefully normalize the experience for the children.

Children aged 7-17 will meet at the Boys and Girls Club in the adjacent city and ride public transit to the local transit center with a volunteer from the Boys and Girls Club. The correctional facility van will be used to pick children up from the transit center.

Visits will occur two times per month for each qualifying inmate mother and her children. During the visiting time parents and their children can sit together in the resource classroom with 9 other inmates and their children. Each family will have its own table. Children will be asked to bring homework and any school projects they need help on or would like to share with their Mom. Mothers will be encouraged to use the time to study with their children. Two volunteer resource classroom instructors will walk through the classroom to offer assistance to any child or adult needing help with homework. In this manner the children and their mom's will be able to share a bonding experience but neither will feel obligated to know all the answers to all the questions. The program will rotate through the center two or three days a week depending on the number of women who qualify and who can sustain the contact. Thirty of the women at the correctional center will then be able to participate in the program at one time.