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Parent Education for Incarcerated Mothers
Detail how your county will market this program to inform potential participants. The Scott County Sheriff’s Department has recently renovated the Scott County Jail to allow the physical infrastructure of the facility to support the Department’s increased focus on rehabilitation and training, rather than simply incarceration. The Department has added many new classrooms, with presentation/workshop technology, computers for inmate training, a library, and facilities and workspace for community partners and educators. Through the Sheriff Department’s strategic plan to reduce recidivism, the Scott County Jail’s program coordinators have approached Scott County Extension to assist in the provision of parent education programs. Especially to incarcerated females. Through conversations with inmates and analysis of inmate data, parent education has become one of the top priorities of the Department. The Scott County Jail would like to offer parent education to all inmate with minor children (or who are raising grandchildren) as often as once per week.
Describe the new clientele that this program is intended to reach. How does your council envision this program will interest this clientele? In the past decade alone, the rate of incarceration for women has increased threefold (Bloon & Chesney-Lind, 2000). The typical female inmate is from a low-socioeconomic background, does not value education, and views criminal activity as a mechanism for meeting daily needs such as food and clothing. Perhaps the biggest issue for female inmates is the separation from their children. Close to 70% of female inmates have children under age 18. Since women are traditionally and culturally conditioned by American society to be responsible for raising children, the forced separation of incarceration often leads to depression and anxiety, as well as feelings of worthlessness and self-hatred for being unable to monitor and protect their children. Many inmate mothers feel guilty about depriving their children of care and causing them to suffer for what they themselves had done (Stanton, 1980). Even so, 58% of female inmates will return to correctional facilities, unable to lead different lifestyles after being released from incarceration.
It has been suggested by some professionals that female inmates who do not receive rehabilitation services while incarcerated are a greater threat to society than even violent men due to their influence over children (Stanton, 1980). What can be done about this growing problem that has such long-term social and economic impacts on our society? In the 1990s there were severe cutbacks made in efforts designed to prepare inmates for re-entry into society, including educational, psychological, social and familial development programs. As can be expected, we have seen a 5% increase in the recidivism rate since that time. Studies have clearly shown that inmate participants in education, vocation, and work programs have recidivism rates 20-60 percent lower than non-participants (Aborn, 2005). Since the Scott County jail is a temporary incarceration program (not a prison), these mothers will be returning to their families within the next three to ten months. As a result, providing programs to mothers at a time when they are available, removed from drugs, alcohol and criminal activity, and feeling emotionally isolated from their children has the potential to make a huge impact on the future life of the female inmate and her dependent children. Indeed, this is exactly what incarcerated females here in Scott County have indicated through surveys and conversations with jail staff and counselors.
How does your council plan to utilize the mini grant? While limited parent education has already been offered within the jail system, this project was developed in response to specific needs and requests from jail staff and inmates. Funds from this project will offer expanded research-based parent education and materials that are specifically focused on the needs and circumstances of female inmates, as well as personal development issues that are related to parenting such as self-esteem, communication styles, relationship choices and anger management. First, 10-15 incarcerated mothers will be chosen by the programs coordinator at both the Scott County and Rock Island County jails for each 6-10 hour series. Criteria for selection may include psychological/social readiness to participate, behavior during time of incarceration, length of stay at the correctional facility, and/or the likelihood of inmates return to their family. It is estimated that 175 female inmates will be served through this portion of the program within one year.
Following the group parent education program, incarcerated mothers will be given the option of participating in an intensive parent education self-study. The self-study program will be divided into three series: one set of modules for mothers with children ages 0-5, one set of modules will be for mothers with children ages 6-12, and one set of modules will be for mothers with children ages 13-18. Each series will have multiple modules that include selected readings, quizzes/surveys, worksheets, interviews with other inmates, and self-reflective essays. Modules will focus on physical, social, emotional and cognitive development of children at each age, best practices of parenting, health and safety guidelines, school and community involvement, and ways to provide stable, secure attachments and environments for children.
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