NCJ Number
151477
Date Published
1993
Length
6 pages
Annotation
Corrections agencies in all 50 States and the District of Columbia were surveyed to determine their use of boarding-in programs and other approaches to meet the needs of the infants and children of female inmates.
Abstract
Results revealed that in the summer of 1992, 12 States had programming for women that allowed some boarding-in of inmates and children, and 7 more States had plans for initiating such a program. Three other States previously had such programs but abandoned them due to financial concerns. Programs use several models. Nursery programs are located either in the community or in the prison. They aim to keep the mother and newborn after birth for 4-12 months. Extended visits, overnights, and weekend programs are also available to women with no disciplinary problems and with children under age 12. The frequency of visits ranges from one weekend a month to five overnights a month. Finally, reintegration programs are situated in prerelease halfway houses or contract homes in the community. They try to reunite the mother and child before release to the community to reduce the strain of readjustment. Services associated with all these programs include child development classes, training in parenting skills, drug treatment, vocational training, and others. These programs have both positive and negative consequences; no real outcome evaluation has occurred that can guide the development of new programs. Figures and table