NCJ Number
139321
Date Published
1990
Length
206 pages
Annotation
A weekend camping program for female inmates who would be allowed to have their children stay overnight on the facility grounds was evaluated both qualitatively and quantitatively to determine its overall effects.
Abstract
The program was established in 1988 for inmates of the Dwight Correctional Center in Illinois and was funded by a 3-year Federal grant. The program was designed to allow 12 women per weekend to spend 48 consecutive hours with their children under age 16. About 31 percent of the 145 women who participated during the summer of 1989 completed interviews before and after the camp. Twenty-nine percent of the camping mothers also kept diaries of their experiences. Two hundred and eighty children took part in the camps. Study data were also gathered through observations and formative evaluations by the staff. Findings revealed that the program was a success in helping maintain bonding and communications in family units. Results also suggested the desirability of maintaining a 48-hour program with current staff and resources, recruiting summer interns, increasing the availability of arts and crafts materials, and continuing to have themes and special events. Tables and appended study instruments, excerpts from diaries, and summaries of results