Hi All,
I just saw a film produced by Brian Lindstrom of Portland Oregon, called, Mothering Inside, a program at the Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in Oregon. In this program, called the Family Preservation Project, incarcerated women have extended time with their children while learning parenting skills. The film showcases the bonds that are being formed between the women and their children, some of whom have not seen each other for years. In the program moms and kids enjoy eating, playing, doing activities together, in short, all the things normal families do. This has made the transition to home much easier for all those in the program and recidivism is zero.
The program was cut this last spring, but this film and efforts by others restored funding and Governor Kate Brown has signed legislation to restart it in the fall under the auspices of the YWCA.
Programs like this, and the general public's awareness of these kinds of programs, will help all our loved ones who are or who have been incarcerated. I don't know if there are other programs like this in other states, but if there are, it would be good to know about them and how to advocate for them. Not only do we all need to fight against injustices, but we need to advocate for programs that actually help and rehabilitate our freedom challenged loved ones.
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