SHOULD THERE BE NURSERY PROGRAMS IN FEMALE PRISONS?

Should There Be Nursery Programs in Female Prisons?

Amanda Moon-Thomas

Most people have an idea of what a nursery is. Some people decorate a room in their house in a specific baby theme and refer to it as the nursery. Others drop their children off in nurseries at church or in a day care center. But a small number of women incarcerated at the Ohio Reformatory for Women (ORW) in Marysville, Ohio are participants in a prison nursery program which allows them to keep their baby with them as they are serving their felony sentence.

Since 2001 nearly 130 babies have been “incarcerated” with their mothers at ORW. There has even been a set of twins and a deaf inmate with her baby. This nursery program is called Achieving Baby Care Success (ABC’S) and is located within the razor wired fence in a separate housing unit. The mothers share a twelve by six foot room with their child in a housing area with an average of ten other inmate mothers and babies. The rooms are not the typical cell. They are painted with bright murals and have other baby décor such as stuffed animals, homemade quilts and pictures. My guess is that most of the babies have a much nicer living environment inside the prison than they would if their mother had never been incarcerated.

The nursery is funded by a federal grant that provides all the babies’ necessities such as diapers, wipes, formula and baby food while clothing, blankets, car seats, swings, and toys are donated to the program by various community organizations. The inmate mothers can also purchase items for their child through the prison commissary and outside vendors or their loved ones can send in clothing boxes to the babies if they choose. A pediatrician has office hours in the nursery once a week and is on call any time for emergencies. Also, because the mother is a ward of the state, she is eligible for federal programs such as Women with Infant Children (WIC) and Medicaid to assist with medical costs and medication for their babies. Child support may also be sought and received while the inmate participates in the program.

This nursery program was modeled after a long time prison nursery founded in New York. There are about 10 other prison nurseries nationwide. A new prison nursery is in the development stage and will be opened in a female federal prison in 2007. Although there are several other programs like ABC’S, the criteria for Ohio’s program are very strict. The inmate must be pregnant upon entering the prison system and cannot be serving a sentence for violence or have any crimes against children in her past. She must be a either minimum or medium security, have no more than an 18 month sentence for a felony in the fourth degree and have no outstanding warrants or detainers. Children Services, in the inmate’s county of commitment, is contacted upon her tentative eligibility and must render a positive recommendation for her participation in the program.

While participating in the nursery program the inmate has continuous contact with a case manager who monitors her program participation in various other institutional programs. Upon entering ABC’S the case manger meets with the inmate and makes a series of program recommendations based on her individual needs such as schooling, drug and alcohol counseling, life skills, stress management and vocational training. The case manager assists the inmate in enrolling in the recommended programs and follows her progress until completion. In addition to individualized programming, all the inmate mothers must participate in Responsible Family Life Skills, Help Me Grow, Infant CPR, Car Seat Safety and other child care specific programming.

This program, according to Department of Rehabilitation and Correction Director Terry Collins, “is hands-on learning to the extreme…It’s a chance for these women, while clean and sober and free from violence on the outside, to bond with their baby.” While there are many opponents of the program the benefits, in my opinion far outweigh any negative view of the nursery. Based on the eligibility requirements alone, the inmates in the nursery program will undoubtedly get custody of their child back upon their release from prison. If we know that from the beginning, doesn’t it make sense to allow them to bond with their child in the most essential phase of that child’s life? Caring for their baby gives the inmate a sense of obligation to their child. That child, unlike on the streets, is the mother’s first priority. If the inmate can form a bond with her baby while in prison and free from temptations she may have a reason to stay free upon her release. While there has been no study done to see if participation in this nursery program reduces recidivism, a mere 3 percent of those inmates who have been in ABC’S have returned to prison within three years post release. The state recidivism rate for all inmates in Ohio is 38 percent.

The inmates are encouraged to have prison jobs and make their experience in the program as life-like as possible so that they can more easily transition into the community. There are several inmates that have been thoroughly screened by prison administrators and Children Services who have prison jobs as nannies. These women are available to the mothers when they need to leave for either programming, dining or to go to work. In prison mother and baby are together much more than a parent in the community who leaves the home for 8-12 hours a day for work. The time away from each other is good for both mother and baby. Being with each other constantly makes the baby too dependant on their mother and makes it more difficult for the baby to adjust when they are separated.

Family visitation is important as well in this setting. Many of the participating inmates have other children in the community living with grandparents, another family member or a friend. A separate visiting area is reserved for the inmates participating in ABC’S that is more conducive to family bonding and relationship building. There has even been a situation where the father of the child is incarcerated as well and special phone calls were permitted in order for the father to participate in some parenting aspects.

Although there are many reasons to turn up one’s nose at the idea of prison nurseries, the other options available to pregnant women entering the state prison system are far less appealing. Women essentially have four options if they are pregnant upon their admittance into prison and do not wish to participate in ABC’s or are not eligible to participate. They may grant custody to family or a loved one, they may put their baby up for adoption, Children Services can take custody based on the mother’s history, or they may make arrangements for an abortion at their own expense. Does the nursery seem a bit more appealing now?

These babies have the best care and a host of professional staff caring for them while they are in the program. We do not keep the baby against the mother’s wishes. If at any time, the mother wants to remove her child from the program, she has the right to do so. Otherwise the baby will leave with their mother upon her release.

This program is wonderful for eligible inmates who wish to keep their baby and participate in intensive parenting programming. The program gives them a second chance to be a good parent. The babies are not being punished by spending the first several months of their lives in prison. They are being given an opportunity to form a strong bond with their mother so that they can have a better life. The most important thing is that the baby does not know they are in prison, they only know that they are with their mother and they are being cared for and loved.


REFERENCES

Avsec, Dana (2006 October 15). Program lets female inmates live, bond with their babies. The Plain Dealer,

Zachariah, Holly (2006 October 14). In Prison With Mommy. The Columbus Dispatch, p. D1.