NCJ Number
167689
Journal
Corrections Today Volume: 58 Issue: 6 Dated: (October 1996) Pages: 80-81
Date Published
1996
Length
2 pages
Annotation
This article examines three programs that attempt to foster mother-child bonds for women in prison.
Abstract
Volunteers of America (VOA) has established three programs that carry out punishment of women offenders while fostering the bonds of love between mother and child and helping the mother learn to care for her child. Booth Family Apartments, in Oakland, CA, is a minimum-security facility that is home to approximately 40 women serving time for nonviolent crimes; their children are there with them. While the children are in school, their mothers attend sessions on drug education, nutrition, literacy skills, resume writing and job readiness. At Mothers and Infants Together in Fort Worth, TX, women enter in their 7th month of pregnancy. They receive training in childbirth techniques, nutrition, breast and bottle feeding, and daily exercise. Mothers and babies live together 24 hours a day; fathers and siblings are also involved in the program. VOA's Indiana Work Release Program houses up to 25 women in a dormitory-style situation. They are required to obtain and maintain employment, and to pay for their care. Children are not permitted to live in the facility, but visits from family members are highly encouraged.