Last of two parts
The first part is available at thevoice.us/mothers-in-prison-rarely-see-their-children-families
Mothers in prison aren’t likely to see their families this holiday season, or any other day.
Jill McCorkel, professor of sociology and criminology, Villanova University in Philadelphia, submitted the following article to The Conversation.
“Some caregivers and incarcerated parents are reluctant to expose children to prison environments and the restrictive policies governing physical contact between parents and children. One survey of women prisoners in California discovered that 10% of mothers discouraged their children from visiting.
“But distance is the main obstacle. Women’s prisons are fewer in number and in remote areas. One study found that more than 60% of mothers are imprisoned more than 100 miles away from their children.
“When prisoners are more than 50 miles from family, visits become less frequent. When the distance exceeds 150 miles, visits, especially those involving minor children, are virtually nonexistent.
“Consider the challenges for the Alvarado family, which lives in Philadelphia.
“Judy, Bianca’s grandmother, does not drive. Although a third of the Muncy prison’s prisoners are from Philadelphia and surrounding counties, there is no public transportation from city to prison. For $35 a person round-trip, a prisoner advocacy organization offers a bus trip every other month. Unfortunately, these trips take place on Mondays, when Bianca is in school.
“Occasionally Bianca and her grandmother find a ride with a family member or friend. The prison does not offer evening or mid-week visits, which makes coordinating work and school schedules tricky. Families who want to maximize their time together must arrive at the prison by 8 a.m.. Visits end at 3:30 p.m..
“The drive, seven hours round trip from Philadelphia, is arduous. Rest stops are few. One segment features stunning mountain vistas, but no safe areas to pull off to change a diaper or feed a hungry toddler.
“Prison visits are expensive. Traveling to remote locations means that many families incur costs associated with lodging in addition to transport. Among low-income families, the costs of visits and phone calls can consume up to one-third of a family’s monthly income.
“Visitors are not allowed to bring outside food and drink into prisons. Instead, families eat meals from prison vending machines. Pennsylvania prisons recently installed machines featuring fresh food options: Salads, sandwiches, wraps, and yogurt. Prices for fresh food range from $4.25 to $5.25 per item.
“To use the machines, visitors first must buy a special debit card ($2.00). During my visit with Alvarado, we purchased two buffalo chicken wraps ($10.50), a small bag of Fritos ($1.50), ginger ale ($2.25) and a bottle of water ($2.25). Compared to other families who report spending in excess of $80 or more on food, our lunch was cheap, at $18.50.
“For a single visit to SCI Muncy, I spent $80 on food, fuel and highway tolls. This is in excess of what a minimum wage worker in Pennsylvania can earn in an eight-hour day.
“Not surprisingly, one study reports that families are forced to choose between going on a prison visit and covering childcare expenses.
“There are over 111,000 women in state and federal prisons – a number that has barely budged in recent years despite criminal justice reform efforts.
“A key disadvantage that imprisoned women confront is the lack of prison visits. Reducing burdens on families who want to visit offers an alternative.
“Two low-cost ways of doing so are through the provision of transportation services and expanded visiting hours. Additionally, collaborative partnerships among legislators, sentencing authorities, and Department of Corrections officials offer possibilities for new policy innovation. Given that women’s crimes are typically non-serious and nonviolent, one option to explore is community-based alternatives to traditional forms of incarceration.
“In recent years, California, Washington, and Oregon have passed legislation allowing primary caregivers of minor children to serve time in alternative, community-based programs provided they meet eligibility requirements and are nonviolent offenders.
“Preliminary research suggests that alternatives to incarceration may improve women’s odds of reentry success and provide benefits to their children and families,” McCorkel wrote.