Local News
Terrance
continued from page 1
going to go home after this, but there is
somebody that is going to be cold tonight,
that needs a blanket. You may not be able to
The event was not the
first fundraiser for
Terrance
give money, but Bless God, you may be
able to give blankets or something like that.
If you have extra coats – please—you can
take them to Portland Rescue Mission. You
can take them to Transition Projects; you
can take them to Union Gospel Mis-
sion…Those are the main spots to take them
to.”
The event was not the first fundraiser for
Terrance. He was just three years old when
his pre-K class raised $286 for childcare
scholarships for low-income families.
Family
continued from page 1
belongings in a locker in the outer hallway.
Outsiders must be escorted by prison staff at
all times.
But the Family Preservation Project’s
space is informal, and even cozy. With
books, toys and craft materials, it’s not
unlike a room in a daycare center. Twice a
month children arrive at 9 a.m., starting off
their time with their mothers by working on
an art activity.
“When they get to come in here and play
with the other kids, it’s really healthy for
them,” says Melissa one of the inmate
moms. “People judge it as, ‘This is such a
horrible place.’ We make it bad because of
the stigma. But they are not uncomfortable
here. They are with their moms.”
The program doesn’t just bring moms and
kids together. On the outside it supports
caregivers, helps with transportation, and
helps children attend classes and activities.
Family meetings keep everyone on the same
page. Inside, it teaches moms new parenting
skills and coaches them on how to draw
their children into conversation.
“We’re teaching them that people can be
here and get better,” Katz says. “People can
be here and build healthy relationships.”
11:05 a.m. Lunchtime. Children sit with
their mothers at tables, eating sandwiches,
chips and apples. Later a plate of birthday
cupcakes arrives. It’s always someone’s
birthday. Today, there are two birthday kids.
Everyone sings Happy Birthday and eats
cake, which leaves the youngest kids with
frosting all over their little hands and faces.
Competition to get into this program is
fierce. Only minimum security inmates are
considered. About 75 percent of women
inmates are mothers, 60 percent of them
with children under age 18. But 40 percent
of those children have no contact at all with
their mothers – not even a phone call. Many
mothers don’t even know where their chil-
dren are living, says Alisha, whose prison
job is in the family resource center.
‘Hundreds of women don’t know where
their kids are. I’ve had one lady who hasn’t
seen her daughter for three years, and she is
seven. It’s really hard to hear that especial-
ly if you don’t know anything about your
kid.
11:30 It’s quiet reading time. Mark and
Antawan sit on either side of Alisha, look-
ing at the pictures while she reads a story.
Meryl and Shari read to Leonsea and Taisia
in a den they’ve made under a table. Every-
one is engrossed and the chatter drops to a
hum.
Most inmate moms can’t do anything to
help their children with school. These
moms speak to their children’s teachers, and
they learn how to help them with reading
and school work. The result?
RMC Research Corp., which has evaluat-
ed the Family Preservation project since
2005, found benefits for the children.
Pre-schoolers in the program for 6 months
or more, “demonstrated strong alphabet
recognition skills, and indicator of kinder-
garten readiness.” The majority of older
children had at least 90 percent school
attendance rates. And although half of the
children started out below grade level with
reading, they made progress in the program.
Researchers also noted improved behavior,
confidence and social skills.
“The Family Preservation Project has
been a huge part of my life, and it’s helped
me rebuild relationships that I’d damaged
from bad choices and drugs,” says Nicole.
“I’m really grateful.
“I try to work on things so we can com-
municate. We have education stuff in the
cupboards. I work on sight words and she
brings in her homework. It makes me feel
I’m included in her life I’m really grateful
for that.”
11:45 Clean-up time. The routine is so
ingrained that it takes no time at all to clean
Terrance Burton Jr, at center with his hood up, smiles outside McCoy Academy
with a few of his friends.
back through the locked door, past the guard
and the metal detector, back to their daily
lives on the outside.
Noon: The mothers come back to the fam-
ily room. Usually they go over the events of
the day, talk about what they did right, and
what they could have done better. Today sit-
ting around a table, they tell their stories
one after another. They talk about their
crimes, which range from driving drunk to
theft, robbery and a weapons charge. They
‘Hundreds of women don’t know where their kids
are. I’ve had one lady who hasn’t seen her
daughter for three years, and she is seven. It’s
really hard to hear that’
--Alisha
and tidy the room. That frees up the moms
for some last minute roughhousing in a
small adjoining group room. Nicole hardly
looks strong enough to pick up Victoria, but
she does, swinging her around and around
till they are both out of breath and giggling.
Leonsea and Taisia, too big for their moms
to lift now, dance around together.
Slowly the women and children gather,
sitting on the floor to share their few last
minutes together. Antawan and Mark flop
on Alisha as if their weight can keep her
talk about the classes they are taking and the
work skills they hope to have. Some are
nearing their release date, and they are get-
ting help to clean up their finances, their
driving records and any outstanding war-
rants. Project staff want to remove any
barriers to success before they leave.
Shay, (not her real name) who doesn’t
want to be identified because her family is
well known in Portland, is almost giddy
when she talks about her release date. “I
grew up in prison and institutions,” she
About 75 percent of women inmates are
mothers, 60 percent of them with children
under age 18. But 40 percent of those children
have no contact at all with their mothers
close. Ashley has her hand on Sophia’s hair.
Malachi and Michael rest on Trina’s lap.
Michael’s eyes close but not for long.
Everyone knows what comes next.
11:55 Goodbye song. The goodbye song
tells the children that although it’s time to
go now, they will be back before too long.
And the singing is surprisingly cheerful.
Routines like this help ease the pain of leav-
ing mom behind. They line up at the door
and make their way back through the yard,
says. “At 25-26, when I was leaving, I did-
n’t know anything else. This is my third
time in jail.”
This program has helped her change her
life, she says.
It made her look at herself closely, and she
realized that even the way she stood was a
mask to make her look tough. Laughing, she
admits she now copies the “ladylike” pos-
tures of the program staff.
She stands up and demonstrates how she
used to stand and walk. Then in a startling
turnabout, she brings her feet together in a
neat pose, and clasps her hands together
demurely. Everyone laughs, but she’s seri-
ous.
“I want to learn how to be a healthy
mom,” she says. “My 6-year-old is having a
hard time, so I learned how to understand
him and not just spank him …I can go out
now and I can show my family how I can
talk to my kids without having to spank
them. I’ve learned how not to be mentally
and physically abusive –because that’s what
my family does.
“Without this program I know I would
never have made it. I came here so young.”
Postscript: Women in Oregon have been
going to prison in increasing numbers, and
staying there longer thanks to “tough on
crime” laws, such as Oregon’s Measure 57,
which increased penalties for drugs, proper-
ty and DUII offenses.
“Women are the fastest growing criminal
justice population, and it’s not because they
are becoming more violent,” says Emily
Salisbury, assistant professor of criminolo-
gy and criminal justice at Portland State
University.
“This is a population that often has strug-
gled significantly with abuse and
victimization. You can almost pretty much
assume that every woman in that prison has
experienced some kind of victimization,
whether it is physical, emotional or sexual
abuse. Women don’t enter prison for the
same reasons as men. Their pathways to
offending are different.”
About 15,000 children in Oregon have a
parent in prison. Those children are at
increased risk of mental health and behavior
problems, as well as school dropout, and
future criminal behavior.
But the good news is that many of these
risks can be reduced through programs that
improve mothers’ parenting skills and help
them to be successful outside prison.
FPP is one example of an evidence-based
program that works long-term to strengthen
families and support them as they leave
prison.
Almost all the women who enter the pro-
gram complete it. And those who complete
the program have been successful outside
prison.
“I think we’ve lost two women,” says
Katz. “They broke some rules and were sent
to medium security.”
RMC’s latest report, published in August
2012, says the Family Preservation Project,
“consistently provides high-quality services
based on best practices research.”
February 20, 2013 The Portland Skanner Page 3