Reconnecting and Spending Quality Time with Kids Grocery Shopping Tips First Step Act
Virginia State Resources
In This Issue Motherhood Issue May 2019 Letter from the Executive Director
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Word of the month
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Virginia State Resources
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First Step Act Reconnecting with Kids (Part 1) Nutrition – Grocery Shopping tips Spending Quality Time with Kids What’s new
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Cover image by Image by Thomas Ulrich from Pixabay
Letter from the Executive Director It’s May, when we celebrate Mother’s Day. We know that Mother’s Day can be tough for families with incarcerated loved ones. We wanted to address some of the important issues that mothers face when incarcerated. Many of the rules of our criminal justice system are based on a population of men, and women aren’t taken into consideration – particularly pregnant women. The First Step Act is exactly that – a first step -- in the kind of reform that takes into consideration the needs of pregnant women. We also wanted to address how hard it can be to stay connected with children while incarcerated. So much of it depends on the states and jurisdictions. It’s part one of a two part series (the second one in honor of Father’s Day). Connecting with our kids is an important part of re-entering society and getting a sense of normalcy after incarceration. Finally, you know how we like to end on a high note. We’ve provided a few ideas on how to spend quality time with kids on a budget. We hope you enjoy this issue. Sincerely, Porche Proffit
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Masthead and Contributors Editor-in-Chief, Porche Proffit Editor, Ericka Foster
Contributors Writer, Maggie Allen Nutrition and dietitian Isabella Dos Santos
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ma¡tri¡arch
a woman who is the head of a family or tribe. Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another steppingstone to greatness. ~ Oprah Winfrey
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Virginia State Services Assisting Families of Inmates //afoi.org/ AFOI provides transportation services for inmates’ loved ones to visit. Often, people are incarcerated based on availability, and they end up far from home. Transportation can be a tremendous obstacle for families who have lost an income earner to travel. The simple act of providing bus rides can allow inmates to stay connected to the world, and their loved ones.
Boaz&Ruth, Inc. http://www.boazandruth.com/ Located in Highland Park, with a high concentration of individuals re-entering society, Boaz&Ruth has a formal re-entry program offering services for housing, substance abuse, and employment. Friends of Guest House https://friendsofguesthouse.org/ Friends of Guest House works with women who have been released from incarceration. The organization collaborates with other nonprofits to offer services for employment, mental health, and housing. They also offer a mentoring program. Norfolk Prisoner Reentry T.E.A.M https://www.norfolk.gov/index.aspx?NID=1938 This program is supported by the Norfolk city government. T.E.A.M. stands for “Transition Forward, Engage More, Achieve Independence, Move Beyond”. As a part of the Human Services Department, they work with community organizations to offer employment services, peer support groups, case management, assessment and referrals, a mentoring program, and more.
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Opportunities, Alternatives, and Resources (OAR) https://www.oarnova.org This program offers services in Fairfax, Loudon, and Prince William counties in the northern Virginia. The re-entry services they offer include counseling, emergency services, and family assistance programs. OAR of Richmond www.oarric.org This program offers services in the city of Richmond, along with Chesterfield, Pamunkey, and Henrico counties. The re-entry services they offer include counseling, GED classes, transportation, and substance abuse counseling. Step, Inc. – West Piedmont Re-Entry Journey www.stepincva.com/services-programs/supportive-services Located in the Piedmont area of Virginia, STEP offers these services in Franklin, Patrick and Henry counties, as well as the City of Martinsville.. The services they offer include emergency services, referrals to our community partners, life skills, and counseling Step Up, Inc. stepupincorporated.org Step Up, Inc offers pre-release services so that inmates have appropriate resources the moment they step out of the facility. They provide housing assistance, and help inmates obtain identification. The Up Center www.theupcenter.org Although they help everyone, the Up Center provides services that ex-offenders require, such as housing, family services, and counseling.
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First Step Act: No More Shackles for Pregnant Women By Ericka Foster Passed in December 2018, the First Step Act prohibits the shackling of pregnant prisoners and promises women free tampons and sanitary napkins. The law was a bipartisan deal, signed by President Trump at the end of 2018. Shackling women giving birth was banned in 2008 by the Bureau of Prisons, so this law enforces that policy. In addition, the impact of the law is expected to:
Reduce crack sentences Curb mandatory minimums Enforce existing rules Fix Good Time Credits Provide incentives for participating in programs Create and expand life-skills courses Move people closer to home Provide IDs
It is common practice for women who are pregnant or giving birth to be shackled or put into solitary confinement. Since the law prohibiting shackling women is being passed 10 years after it was supposedly prohibited, outsiders are wary – yet hopeful – about the impact it will have. The law does not, however, prohibit pregnant women from being placed in solitary confinement. Maryland is the only state that prohibits pregnant women from being placed in solitary confinement. The law was passed on Tuesday, April 30th, 2019. The law doesn’t take effect until October 2019. Just a week before the magazine is published – as this is being written – a mentally ill woman in Broward County gave birth for 6 hours alone in her jail cell. This law is hopefully, a first step to providing pregnant women – and their babies -- the support they need while incarcerated.
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Connecting and Reconnecting with Kids By Ericka Foster, Maggie Allen, and Porche Proffit After spending some time incarcerated, reconnecting with kids can be an obstacle course. Processes depend on the state, jurisdiction, time away, crime committed, and whether the children are with family or in foster care. This article is part 1, offering resources on navigating the processes and the systems. Next month, we’ll cover ways to reconnect with children. When a parent is arrested, her children are assigned a case worker. In most cases, the social worker assigned to a child’s case is required by federal law to engage the Terminating parental rights incarcerated parent in the child’s life it if On the other hand, the Adoption and Safe is in the best interest of the child. Families Act states that if a child has been Research shows that keeping parents abandoned or in foster care for 15 of the and children connected is in the best most recent 22 months, a state can interest of the child. The challenge terminate the parent’s rights. There are comes as the social worker has to some exceptions to this rule and states have navigate the ins and outs of the criminal limited discretion as to how they enforce the justice system. Some of the hurdles that law. impede visitation include accessibility to Although incarceration isn’t the sole criteria the facility, paperwork, and rules around for terminating parental rights, parents who visitation. Some facilities are actually are incarcerated could be affected by this banning in-person visits, relying on law. They should work with legal counsel to video technology for visitation. Case navigate the process. workers struggle to get messages into the facility, so incarcerated parents with limited access to the outside world bear the burden of reaching out to the case workers. Because visitation rules are so strict and vary so much, few organizations facilitate prison visits. Girl Scouts Beyond Bars (GSSB) is one of the few organizations that coordinates family visits between inmates and their families. Incarcerated mothers and their
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daughters meet bi-monthly. GSSB not only nurtures the bond between mother and daughter by coordinating bi-monthly troop meetings, but it also teaches the skills that the girl scouts of America are known for, to help break the cycle of incarceration. Get prepared: While on the inside, inmates should take advantage of parenting classes offered. Parenting courses can offer instruction on problem-solving, communication, co-parenting, positive reinforcement, parenting styles and values. Parenting Inside Out has developed a parenting curriculum program specifically designed to be implemented in correctional facilities. Although there are many curriculum programs available, it is ultimately up to the correctional facility to implement and offer these programs. In California, Families and Criminal Justice Project offers a program called MIRACLE. The program provides prenatal, infant and child development education classes to inmates. They also offer family life and family resource management education; mothers' support groups; and sentencing and child custody advocacy. Women can participate in the program up to three years after their release. Call-in reinforcements
Organizations that help Aid to Inmate Moms (//inmatemoms.org/) is based in Alabama, and focuses specifically on helping women with children re-enter society and rebuild bonds with their children. Centerforce is based in the San Francisco Bay area of California and provides wraparound services that include family reunification services. Foreverfamily focuses on reconnecting families in Atlanta where a parent has been incarcerated. They offer re-entry services and help exoffenders connect with the services they need. (www.foreverfam.org)
As individuals get out and are rebuilding their lives, gaining access to their children is a major priority. But so is For additional resources, you can check out the getting a job, finding a place to live, and Directory of Programs Serving Children & meeting the other requirements of Families of the Incarcerated release. You don’t have to do it alone. https://nrccfi.camden.rutgers.edu/resources/dir There are nonprofits that work with ectory/. incarcerated parents and their families. Some organizations provide resources and advocacy, while others help mothers focus on bonding and rebuilding their relationships.
In the next issue, we will address nonprofits that help families rebuild the emotional bonds of families affected by the criminal justice system.
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Hey mom! Here are some tips for the next trip to the groceries By Isabella Dos Santos First of all, let’s clarify that groceries are definitely not solely mommy´s responsibility: going to buy groceries should involve every member of the family, from adults to babies. For kids, getting them involved in the process of shopping, teaching them about the different types of foods, and even letting them choose what’s for dinner, is an important approach to developing healthier habits. The food process goes way back to when it is cultivated, raised or fished. From there until the food reaches our table, the quality of the food should be preserved to assure healthy and nutritious food for all. Before getting to the supermarket it is best to know beforehand what you need to buy, so you don´t end up buying food that might spoil, making you lose time, money and nutrients. Step 1: Fruits and veggies If you have a farmer’s market close to you, this is the place to go. Buying local and seasonal food is a way of getting better food for better prices, and contributing to the producer’s work directly. If not, check the fruits and vegetables that are in season (a quick Google search) and try to stick to those when you go to the market. It is also a great way of forcing yourself to vary the menu from time to time. Let your kids choose some of the fruits and vegetables, as it will make them active participants of the food process and might give them more will to try new foods.
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Step 2: Dry Aisles Try getting some oats for oatmeal, eggs for tortilla, bread for sandwiches, legumes for soup (and to mix with rice) as well as some nuts and seeds. Try to buy less processed food. If it has too many ingredients on it, chances are that is not very nutritious. Prefer buying food in their “raw” state. Step 3: Dairies: Milk, yogurt, cheese (still a great calcium, probiotics (yogurt and kefir), magnesium and protein source)
Food tips:
Buy real food. Keep your food safe. Don’t mix fresh and refrigerated food. Take your kids to do groceries with you and make them part of the whole process. Refrigerate your food as soon as you get home.
Yogurt happens to be a great source of probiotics, which are necessary for our gut’s health. However, beware with the sugary ones. Stick to the plain yogurts, with no added sugar, and add some fruit at home to give it a sweet flavor. Step 4: Protein! Get the ones you like. Choose lean cuts and more fish. Stay away of processed meats, since they come with high amounts of salts and chemicals that have shown direct impact with diseases, such as cancer. Since animal protein needs to keep chilled for as long as they can before they get to your fridge, they should be last in our grocery list. If you happen to be vegetarian, you should have got your protein in step 2. IMPORTANT! Don’t get the fruits and veggies close to the animal protein. You don’t want a crossed-contamination episode, where the living organisms from our food (which are normal in certain quantities) pass freely from animal to fruit.
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Spending Quality Time with Kids By Ericka Foster When you’ve been gone for a while it is extra special to reconnect with children. If you’re just getting back, that quality time can be a breath of fresh air. Here are several budgetfriendly ways to spend time with kids and enjoy time with loved ones. Gone fishin’ If you can’t handle quiet, fishing may not be the thing for you. But those quiet moments create the ideal opportunity for sharing intimate thoughts, inside jokes, and even silence. And don’t underestimate the shared victory of catching a fish – even if you decide to throw it back. Mani/pedis On the other end of the spectrum, grab a bottle of your favorite colored nail polish and paint your nails – or each other’s nails. If fishing inspires silence, then nail polish inspires gossip and giggles. Make a meal So many family traditions are built around food and cooking. Making a meal can be an opportunity to instill tradition in the life of a young one – for example, by sharing a family recipe. It is also the chance to try something new. The meal doesn’t need to be complicated. When you think back on your own favorite food memories, they are not often defined by lobster and filet mignon. It is about how you feel and who you are with. Game night It’s 2019, so you can bond with your kids over Fortnite if that works for you. But why not go old school with games like Sorry!, Operation, Candyland, dominoes or Uno. Are you feeling nostalgic just reading this? Often, second-hand games can be picked up at Goodwill.
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Next month’s issue Next month we address fatherhood and issues relating to dads. We will also highlight Nevada resources
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