Corrections_Today_Spring_2025_Vol.87_No.1

PROGRAMMING

The fact that correctional departments nationwide have been making strides in this area shows promise for con tinued reform. Connecting incarcerated women and their children Mass incarceration has been shown to have harm ful effects on health, social and economic outcomes for individuals, families and communities (Khatri & Winkel man, 2022). The incarceration of women, in particular those who are mothers can completely disrupt the family structure as over half (58%) of all women in U.S. prisons are mothers (Sawyer & Bertram, 2022). To ad dress this issue, several correctional facilities across the country have incorporated a number of evidence-based and promising programs to support and connect families during parental incarceration. Programs such as Parent ing Inside Out, child-friendly contact visiting and free video visiting now exist in correctional facilities. Transporta tion, often a barrier for families to maintain in-person contact, is now being offered at no cost for in-person visits for families in some correctional agencies in part nership with surrounding community and faith-based organizations (Pfeiffer, 2024). For incarcerated women who are mothers, losing a child can be detrimental as the evidence suggests that parenting can hold a central place in women’s rehabilita tion and future success (Lind & Mauer, 2003, p.140). For children, losing a parent to incarceration can per petuate cycles of trauma and poor mental and physical health, as having a parent incarcerated identifies as one of the indicators of childhood trauma on the Adverse Childhood Experience test (CPP, 2023; Murray & Far rington, 2008; Scommegna, 2014). In response, some correctional facilities have implemented prison nurs ery programs for pregnant mothers, such as the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville, Ohio through the Ohio Department of Corrections and in the state of Washington through the Washington State Department of Corrections. Both agencies have programs such as the prison nursery and family-based sentencing alternative program respectively, that have been implemented to allow incarcerated pregnant women to keep their new born infants with them in prison after the baby’s birth for a designated period. These programs also provide

a supportive environment where mothers can care for their babies while serving their sentences. They often offer parenting classes, counseling and assistance with childcare to help mothers develop nurturing skills and bond with their infants (Pfeiffer, 2024). Other programs across the country include The Connecting for Success Program i n Maryland, which is a collaboration between the Dorchester County Departments of Health, Cor rections and Public Schools and the development of a Family Engagement Center in Franklin, Wisconsin, which is a partnership between The Milwaukee County Community Reintegration Center and the Center for Self-Sufficiency (Pfeiffer, 2024). For incarcerated women who are mothers, losing a child can be detrimental as the evidence suggests that parenting can hold a central place in women’s rehabilitation and future success. prison residential programs allow qualifying mothers and children to be together in a secure setting away from the prison with access to services that encour age the mother and child to bond, while in Minnesota, the Prison Doula Project allows incarcerated women access to services from trained doulas who assist them in managing pregnancies. In fact in 2022, the state of Minnesota legislation passed the Healthy Start Act, which allows pregnant mothers to serve their prison sentences in community-based alternatives like halfway houses or rehabilitation centers (Thorne, 2022; Got tlieb & Mahabir, 2022). For incarcerated women, other alternative strate gies for keeping them connected to their families could include policy changes that incentive mothers to regain Several states also offer prison alternatives for incar cerated mothers who are pregnant. For example in California, Oklahoma and Texas,

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