MARIA YOUNG / TIMES PHOTO
There are 642 women incarcerated at Riverside Correctional Facility.
More than 80 percent of them are mothers.
For those women, the rules of motherhood are atypical. They live in an environment where fulfilling traditional maternal roles is impossible.
But Artrice Williams, a case manager and social worker with Catholic Social Services’ Parenting Education Program, is teaching them the importance of hope.
“I think first and foremost what we need to understand is some women who are incarcerated are mothers, and because of that status, they’re looking for comfort and care and support. That’s what our agency provides,” explained Williams, who has been with the CSS organization for more than 16 years. “It’s important because it allows them the opportunity to feel that they are still a vital part of their family.”
Williams facilitates a curriculum entitled Turning Points, which is designed to address issues facing families when one parent is incarcerated. The program originated in 1997 to provide therapy sessions, but has since evolved to include parenting classes and services for mothers in prison and post-release.
The classes are available through Catholic Social Services of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, which operates several Family Strengthening Centers, including a Northeast location at 7340 Jackson St. That particular center is unique in offering education opportunities to mothers imprisoned at Riverside Correctional Facility in Holmesburg.
“I work with these women because they have needs beyond incarceration,” said Williams. “I’m trying to infuse in them a seed that I can nurture. To help them grow and develop is very important to me.”
The size of each class ranges from 10 to 20 women. The 10-week course is divided into various sessions, including Understanding Your Parenting Style, Learning Positive Discipline Techniques and Self-Esteem in Children and Their Parents.
“We discuss how to role model positive behavior. That entails respect for the law,” said Williams. “I know that can sound contradictory. How do you teach your children to have respect when you have not shown them that behavior? The lessons that are being learned while they are incarcerated — experiencing the lack of freedom, the lack of respect, the lack of autonomy — I think is a good representation of what not to do.”
WHERE IS MOM?
One of the cornerstones of Turning Points is rebuilding trust and fortifying the importance of honesty. The curriculum directly addresses the question, “Where is mom?” Williams encourages mothers to be honest about their whereabouts. Instead of explaining that a parent is in prison, some mothers fabricate an excuse saying she is in school, or the hospital, even in the service.
“The child will come to think their mom has been gone for a mighty long time and that can build a situation where the child doesn’t want to go to school or the hospital,” said Williams. “I encourage them to tell their children the truth. Don’t lie to them, because eventually someone is going to tell them anyways. And there again — your word and the trust has been broken.”
Riverside Correctional Facility’s intake procedure requires that all females undergo a mandatory pregnancy test upon arrival. If an inmate is pregnant, the prison follows a specific protocol to ensure her and the baby’s safety.
“We have processes in place — medical staff, social workers, therapy — depending on each individual’s situation,” explained Shawn Hawes, Public Information Officer at Riverside. “We normally take them off-campus to a doctor’s office for prenatal care. But, we have a full complement of doctors and physicians on staff available 24 hours a day.”
GIVING BIRTH BEHIND BARS
If an inmate is pregnant and expects to give birth while incarcerated, she must determine who will obtain custody of her child. Hawes explained that usually women give custody to a family member, but if that is not an option, human services will provide placement for the infant.
Pregnant inmates are not allowed to be handcuffed or shackled after their first trimester. When the expectant mother goes into labor, she is transported off-campus to a hospital, but cannot be handcuffed. There is a doula — a nonmedical person who offers emotional support to the mother — present in the hospital room to help the mother through her delivery.
“The women stay in the hospital as long as their doctor says is necessary after birth, usually about three days,” said Hawes. “Then the baby is turned over to whoever was identified as the caregiver.”
Catholic Social Services works with the mothers to see if and when they can be reunited with their children, depending on the situation. The organization also provides post-birth support through individual and group therapy sessions.
“It is a difficult time for the ladies to give birth and then return to prison without their newborn,” said Renee Hudson Small, Director for Community Based Relations at Catholic Social Services. “The case manager works with the ladies on this most difficult transition, coping mechanisms and truly just being a listening ear for the ladies during this stressful time.”
The Parenting Education Program is open to any mother incarcerated at Riverside. William obtains referrals from social work supervisors within the prison. Interested inmates can alert their social worker, who will add them to the list of participants.
A LEARNING EXPERIENCE
Williams explains that her classroom environment is always a supportive one, but also requires a genuine effort from her students. She regularly assigns homework that focuses on vocabulary and writing skills. For example, one of the most popular assignments is Words in a Word — the student must find as many words possible from one large word. Williams’ favorite is supercalafragalisticexpialadoshus.
“The homework is not for me. It’s to give them time to reflect on the subject matter, but also to keep them out of trouble,” said Williams. “I tell them when things are going on in the unit or your celly is getting on your nerves, take your homework and go focus on that somewhere. That focus is going to give you what you need to start to rebuild your life.”
Williams has been a case manager and social worker with CSS’ Parenting Education Program for close to two decades. She originally partnered with Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Center on State Road, but relocated to Riverside Correctional Facility in June 2004. She has counseled thousands of incarcerated women throughout her career. And those fortified relationships span far beyond the classroom.
“The greatest gift that has been given to me is when those women call me after they’ve been released,” said Williams. “I want them to start looking at life in a different way — how to become more accountable, how to become more responsible.”
A FRESH START
CSS can help former inmates find affordable housing after they’ve been released from prison and can provide SEPTA tokens for public transportation and gift cards to purchase food.
Williams recalls one woman who called her for help. She had been released the night before and had nowhere to go. She roamed a nearby park overnight without food, water or proper clothing.
“Sometimes, they come out and they don’t even have underwear,” Williams said. “If you go in at 170 pounds because of drug and alcohol addiction and you come out at 125 pounds, that’s a great disparity about what you can wear. They don’t have clothing that fits them anymore and they don’t have anywhere to go.
“That’s one of the most valuable things about this program — offering post-release services,” she added.
Once an inmate is released from prison, she is provided information about CSS’ Family Service Centers. Each site provides additional parenting classes and support groups. Some also have food pantries, car seat and crib assistance and after-school and summer camps.
“I have trust and belief that given support and guidance and nurturing, quite a few of them have made it,” said Williams. “These women have so many atrocities occurring to them and some have committed pretty awful things. Just to know that they have let me into their inner sanctum, it’s a privilege.
“They know that I’m also a mother. I can speak to their experiences. We all have a common bond of being mothers and being women,” she continued. “It’s a ministry. It’s something that I feel is an important part of who I am as a woman. They give to me as much as I give to them. It’s a mutual respect. It’s a bond that’s been created.” ••
MARIA YOUNG / TIMES PHOTO
Parenting from prison: Catholic Social Services’ Artrice Williams teaches a parenting education program to mothers at Riverside Correctional Facility in Holmesburg. The program is designed to address issues facing families when one parent is incarcerated. MARIA YOUNG / TIMES PHOTO
