New Texas Prison Program Aims to Encourage Bonding Between Female Inmates, Babies – Houston Criminal Lawyer
As Houston criminal defense lawyers, we often come face-to-face with some of the most desperate persons who are faced with spending time in prison. Many of these are pregnant women, for whom the challenges of a prison sentence can be even greater. That’s why it was so great to read about a new program in Texas, that aims to encourage strong mother- child bonds between female prison inmates and their newborn babies.
The program is called BAMBI-Baby and Mother Bonding Initiative- and is an effort by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. The program is currently being offered out of the Santa Maria Hostel, and is meant to equip these young mothers with the skills they need to cope with parenting in their unique circumstances, and when they get out of prison.
The program is open to women who have been convicted of minor offenses, like thefts. It is not open to women who have been convicted of violent crimes, arson or sex offenses. Typically, the program includes those female prisoners who are expected to be released within six months. A typical day in the program starts with a group session in which women are encouraged to set goals for the day, as well as short-term and long-term goals. Except for the time when they take part in these sessions, the women are responsible for taking care of their newborn babies.
There are many benefits to having a program like this. The biggest benefit is obviously the well-being of the child. There is enough evidence to show that children, who are separated from their mothers during infancy, develop attachment issues that impact them negatively. These children are also much more likely to go right back through the Texas justice system after they fail to fit in with society.
The other major benefit lies in how the program helps prisoners gain a better perspective of their life beyond prison. Having a child can change a woman’s outlook on life by 180°, and women who have been incarcerated for any period of time and have had babies during this time, can be forced to seriously reconsider their life choices and what they want for their children going forward. Such programs can also help lower recidivism rates across Texas.
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Are the babies wards of the State until the mother is released? If a women is picked to participate in the Bambi program, what happens to the baby if things don’t go well in prison before the baby is born. Do they get to stay in the program?