There is a program in the Texas prison system whereby pregnant inmates can be moved to something like a half-way house and live there with their new babies. It's called BAMBI -- Baby and Mother Bonding Initiative of The Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
The mothers get substance abuse counseling and life skills classes and GED preparation. Liz Moore is the program manager. She says, "This is the 'aha' moment in terms of learning and accepting responsibility." When the mothers' sentences are complete Moore says, "We give them as many resources as we can. They leave here with Medicaid, with WIC in place, with birth certificates applied for." So that's what the "aha" moment is -- it's not about accepting responsibility at all except in terms of knowing how to work the system.
"Providing a good start for inmates, babies." The Dallas Morning News; July 11, 2010; p. 3A.
1 comment:
Good grief, sounds like to me an incentive program for all pregnant girls to go out and break the law!
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