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Babies behind bars: A look at Ohio's prison nursery program

With her bright blue eyes and eager smile, five-month old Sawyer is obviously a happy, well-cared-for baby. Someday, when she's old enough, her mother will tell her she spent the first six months of her life in prison.

"I think that it would be better if I told her instead of hearing it from someone else," says Trista Spear. She was already pregnant when sentenced for conveying drugs, but didn't want her guilt to affect her innocent baby. "It's my first kid, so it was real important for me to keep her and bond with her and not miss out on the important parts of her life."

Trista and Sawyer are among a dozen moms and their babies in the ABC'S (Achieving Baby Care Success) Nursery at the Ohio Reformatory for Women in Marysville. You'd never know from the colorful walls and Sesame Street characters that chain link fence and razor wire surround them.

Here, two mothers share a room--just big enough to hold two cribs where their babies sleep. If their children cry at night, it's the mothers' responsibility to get up and care for them. The babies are able to bond with their moms and get off to a strong start, and that can keep the women from coming back to prison.

Ohio started the nursery program at Marysville in 2001. In those fifteen years:

  • 272 offenders have entered the program, which is voluntary for those who qualify.
  • 214 moms have successfully completed the program.
  • That's a nearly 80% success rate.

Prison warden Ronette Burkes says the program keeps the babies from becoming a burden to the women's families or social services. "These are children that could otherwise be in foster care or would be placed with family members, if there is an appropriate placement for the child."

She says the benefits of the nursery extend far beyond prison walls. "(These) people are coming home and again, it goes back to what type of neighbor, what type of employee, what type of coworker do you want, or classmate do you want them to be?"

Twilla Walker already had two children when she gave birth to 5-month old Maya while serving time for forgery and theft. "Honestly, I felt like I was able to give my baby a better opportunity than I probably would have on the street." She says having her daughter with her in prison has helped her learn parenting skills she didn't have before. "You know, you can't just drop them off at mom's or drop them off at a friend's house. It's like if they're sick, you have to figure out a way to help them get better."

Walker says a doctor comes to the nursery once a week to check the children. They also have someone from Headstart visit weekly to lead activity groups and advise the mothers on their children's development.

Warden Burkes says Ohio's prison system is "in the business of saving lives," and the nursery program does just that. "I just want the taxpayers to know that we're doing the right thing. We're helping to save lives every single day, and our goal is to create no more victims."

The moms have goals too, says Trista Spear, "It's not about me anymore. It's about her." She hopes to go to school and get a job, in order "to support her and get her the best life she can have."

The mothers want to make sure that their children, who started life behind bars, won't end up there when they're grown.

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