Neb. takes 4-pronged approach to prison parenting
Posted: Sunday, September 28, 2008
YORK, Neb. (AP) -- The Nebraska Correctional Center for Women is home to a one-of-a-kind Parenting Program.
The four-pronged approach to issues arising when mothers are incarcerated has garnered national attention.
Parenting Program coordinator Mary Alley has been working with prison moms for 18 years.
"When the original Parenting Program started in 1974 it was the first of its kind in the United States," Alley said. "In 1994 we got the nursery off the ground. At that time New York had the only program in the country. We modeled ours after theirs. There are just four or five in the country now. But on a regular basis other states come out to look at our program. West Virginia visited several months ago."
Four components make up the prison Parenting Program. The first element, composed of various parenting classes, is taught by Alley and nursery teacher Renee Uldrich. This portion of the program is open to any member of the general population interested in becoming a better parent.
Parenting courses are a prerequisite for acceptance into other facets of the program. Course topics and titles include Creating a Healthy Child, Children with Special Needs, Physical Growth and Development, First Aid and CPR, 10 Greatest Gifts I Give My Child, Alternatives to Spanking, and Women's Issues.
Day visits are the second component. Carefully selected moms are afforded weekly visits, up to five per month, with their children ages 1 month to 16 years.
Responsible parties, be it grandparents or Nebraska Health and Human Services, "bring the children here. They have lunch paid for by the mother and spend time together in a special area on the grounds away from the dedicated visiting area, which tends to be busy," Warden John Dahm explains.
This allows quality time for both child and mother in a nonprison atmosphere. For example, mother and child can bake cookies if it is someone's birthday.
During day visits mothers are 100 percent accountable for their children, and evaluations are completed.
The third component of the Parenting Program is overnight visitation. Children taking part in overnight visits must be 1 year of age but not over 6 years of age.
"Overnight visits are permitted up to five nights a month for carefully selected inmates and can be from two to five days," Dahm says. "For overnight visits we move the child and mother to the nursery unit. There are rooms there for them to stay in."
The fourth prong is a nursery program aimed at meeting the needs of expectant inmates and babies born during an inmate's incarceration.
Mothers accepted into the program are expected to be the child's primary caregiver upon release. Those convicted of violent crimes or crimes against a child are ineligible.
Participating mothers are required to attend all classes offered through the Parenting Program. They have part-time jobs on the grounds and are part-time students, as well.
"As far as I know, we are the only prison in the United States with all four components. The overnight and day visits are the rare part," Dahm says.
"These programs are important because, unlike a men's prison, children's issues are very important at a women's prison. A large portion of our population have children or are caregivers. This is very important to female inmates. Not to say men don't care. We are currently working on exporting day visits to the men's prison.
The warden says that, according to studies, if one or both parents have done prison time, children are six times more likely to be in prison.
"There are nay-sayers who think this isn't the prison's business," Dahm says. "But it makes sense from a social betterment standpoint to help women become better mothers. The point is ... this is more about the baby and child than the inmate mother."
The four-pronged approach to issues arising when mothers are incarcerated has garnered national attention.
Parenting Program coordinator Mary Alley has been working with prison moms for 18 years.
"When the original Parenting Program started in 1974 it was the first of its kind in the United States," Alley said. "In 1994 we got the nursery off the ground. At that time New York had the only program in the country. We modeled ours after theirs. There are just four or five in the country now. But on a regular basis other states come out to look at our program. West Virginia visited several months ago."
Four components make up the prison Parenting Program. The first element, composed of various parenting classes, is taught by Alley and nursery teacher Renee Uldrich. This portion of the program is open to any member of the general population interested in becoming a better parent.
Parenting courses are a prerequisite for acceptance into other facets of the program. Course topics and titles include Creating a Healthy Child, Children with Special Needs, Physical Growth and Development, First Aid and CPR, 10 Greatest Gifts I Give My Child, Alternatives to Spanking, and Women's Issues.
Day visits are the second component. Carefully selected moms are afforded weekly visits, up to five per month, with their children ages 1 month to 16 years.
Responsible parties, be it grandparents or Nebraska Health and Human Services, "bring the children here. They have lunch paid for by the mother and spend time together in a special area on the grounds away from the dedicated visiting area, which tends to be busy," Warden John Dahm explains.
This allows quality time for both child and mother in a nonprison atmosphere. For example, mother and child can bake cookies if it is someone's birthday.
During day visits mothers are 100 percent accountable for their children, and evaluations are completed.
The third component of the Parenting Program is overnight visitation. Children taking part in overnight visits must be 1 year of age but not over 6 years of age.
"Overnight visits are permitted up to five nights a month for carefully selected inmates and can be from two to five days," Dahm says. "For overnight visits we move the child and mother to the nursery unit. There are rooms there for them to stay in."
The fourth prong is a nursery program aimed at meeting the needs of expectant inmates and babies born during an inmate's incarceration.
Mothers accepted into the program are expected to be the child's primary caregiver upon release. Those convicted of violent crimes or crimes against a child are ineligible.
Participating mothers are required to attend all classes offered through the Parenting Program. They have part-time jobs on the grounds and are part-time students, as well.
"As far as I know, we are the only prison in the United States with all four components. The overnight and day visits are the rare part," Dahm says.
"These programs are important because, unlike a men's prison, children's issues are very important at a women's prison. A large portion of our population have children or are caregivers. This is very important to female inmates. Not to say men don't care. We are currently working on exporting day visits to the men's prison.
The warden says that, according to studies, if one or both parents have done prison time, children are six times more likely to be in prison.
"There are nay-sayers who think this isn't the prison's business," Dahm says. "But it makes sense from a social betterment standpoint to help women become better mothers. The point is ... this is more about the baby and child than the inmate mother."
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Good Job wrote on Sep 30, 2008 12:23 PM: