Links

WASHINGTON STATE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
www.doc.wa.gov offers a very comprehensive overview of the Department of Corrections in Washington State.

PRISON NURSERY RESEARCH
Dr. Mary Byrne from the Columbia University School of Nursing is leading a research team studying the "Maternal and Child Outcomes of a Prison Nursery Program." The broad objectives of this project are to identify and explore the changes in maternal-infant attachment and infant/toddler development as they occur during incarceration on a prison nursery and during the year following release of the infant with and without the mother. The overall goal is to enrich the knowledge base from which prison and community based parenting programs can be developed and tested and to improve the lives of incarcerated women and their children during co-detention and following release.

WOMEN'S PRISON ASSOCIATION
WPA is the nation's oldest service and advocacy organization committed to helping women with criminal justice histories see new possibilities for themselves and their families. The WPA has released a national report on prison nurseries and community-based alternatives.

PACIFIC LUTHERAN UNIVERSITY
Pacific Lutheran University has enjoyed a rich and collaborative relationship with WCCW since 2001. Faculty from the Department of Sociology and Social Work at PLU have served on a number of committees at WCCW as outside consultants, advised on policy and program initiatives, and conducted institutional research in such areas as recidivism, staff/inmate relationships, inmate parenting/family needs. Faculty and students from the School of Arts & Communication have conducted cultural research in programs such as the RPP and TRAC (Trades Related Apprenticeship Coaching), and produced an original video documentary about the history and successes of TRAC.

EARLY HEAD START
National Resource Center for Early Head Start, Zero to Three.

PUGET SOUND EDUCATIONAL SERVICE DISTRICT
Puget Sound Educational Service District (ESD) along with Early Head Start partners with the WCCW to make the Residential Parenting Program a leading model for prison nursery care. ESD is one of nine regional educational agencies serving school districts and state-approved private schools in Washington State, supporting virtually every aspect of pre-K-12 education, including instruction, technology, early childhood, special education, administration and finance.

THE CENTER FOR CHILDREN OF INCARCERATED PARENTS
The Center for Children of Incarcerated Parents [CCIP] was founded with the mission being the prevention of intergenerational crime and incarceration. Their goals are the production of high quality documentation on and the development of model services for children of criminal offenders and their families.

FAMILY AND CORRECTIONS NETWORK
Family and Corrections Network is an organization for and about families of prisoners, offering information, training and technical assistance on children of prisoners, parenting programs for prisoners, prison visiting, incarcerated fathers and mothers, hospitality programs, keeping in touch, returning to the community, the impact of the justice system on families, and prison marriage.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA SERVICE LEAGUE
The Northern California Service League is a non-profit agency whose mission is to reduce crime by helping offenders and ex-offenders become responsible and productive citizens. This site will link to information about the Children of Incarcerated Parents Bill of Rights.

AMERICAN PROFESSIONAL SOCIETY ON THE ABUSE OF CHILDREN
APSAC seeks to improve the quality of practice provided by professionals who work in child abuse and neglect, and thereby improve the quality of services to maltreated children and the adults who share and influence their lives.

MARY BRIDGE CHILD ABUSE INTERVENTION DEPARTMENT
The Child Abuse Intervention Department (CAID) provides medical treatment, psychosocial support, legal advocacy and crisis intervention services for victims or child abuse and their families. CAID also offers strategies for the prevention of child abuse for parents and community groups through our various programs.

AMERICAN COLLEGE OF NURSE MIDWIVES
This is a comprehensive site about Certified Nurse Midwives in America developed by the national nurse-midwifery organization. It is a great resource for both professionals and consumers.

DOULAS
The Birth Attendants, as doulas, provide educational, emotional and physical support to empower incarcerated pregnant and post-partum women. Our non-profit organization educates the community about the struggles and triumphs of all marginalized pregnant and parenting women.

BLUE EARTH ALLIANCE
Blue Earth Alliance is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping photographers pursue documentary projects about endangered environments, threatened cultures and social issues. Founded in 1996 by photographers Phil Borges and Natalie Fobes, BEA provides mentoring and sponsorship for selected photographic projects.

PHOTOGRAPHIC CENTER NORTHWEST
A nonprofit center for photographic arts education, the Photographic Center Northwest is dedicated to offering fine art photography education, supporting the arts community, and enhancing public awareness of fine art photography.

Statistics

• The number of adults in the correctional population has been increasing. In 2007, over 7.3 million people were on probation, in jail or prison, or on parole at year end—3.2% of all U.S. adult residents or 1 in every 31 adults. If incarceration rates remain unchanged, 6.6% of U.S. residents born in 2001 will go to prison at some time during their lifetime. Women were 6.6% of the State prison inmates in 2001, up from 6% in 1995.
• In midyear 2007, the number of parents in prison — 52% of state inmates and 63% of federal inmates — reported having an estimated 1,706,600 minor children. This amounts to 2.3% of the 74 million children in the US resident population who were under the age of 18 on July 1, 2007 that had a parent in prison.
• Among parents living with their minor children prior to incarceration, more than three-quarters (77%) of mothers compared to just over a quarter (26%) of fathers reported providing most of the daily care of their children.
• Data from 1991 indicates that six percent of the women inmates entered prison while pregnant.
• Almost half to two-thirds of the women in the nation's jails and prisons reported that they had been physically or sexually abused before their imprisonment. Women in the nation's prisons and jails reported higher levels of abuse as children than women in the general population. Illegal drug use and regular drinking were more common among abused state prison inmates than among those who said they had not been abused.

Facts obtained from the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Last revised on Feb 26, 2009.

Press

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