Reuniting Families and Mothers

5.04.2022 — LISC StoriesSafety & Justice

Did you know that of the 2,019,900 women jailed in the U.S. each year, 80% are mothers? Women are the fastest-growing incarcerated population in the country, and this Mother’s Day, too many will be spending the day apart from their children.

Incarceration punishes more than just the individual; entire families suffer the long-lasting effects of even brief jail time. By keeping mothers out of jail and prison, we protect children from the known harms of parental imprisonment including traumatic loss, mental health risks/depression, and struggling to get their basic needs met like food, housing, and medical care. These women would be better served through alternatives in their communities, and so would their children.

This is a key reason why the Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI) Initiative was created by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, to make the vision of Care First, Jails Last a reality. ATI’s justice reform policies and programs developed a roadmap to divert eligible people away from the criminal legal system and into an ecosystem of supportive services and programs.

The success of diversion efforts hinges on expanding a strong pool of qualified, community-based service providers who can deliver qualified care and services in the areas of housing, mental health, family reunification, drug rehabilitation, and employment. As part of ATI, last year LISC LA launched the Incubation Academy to provide training and technical assistance to grassroots organizations that have been performing these services in their communities.

The inaugural Incubation Academy focused exclusively on housing providers that serve underrepresented and justice-involved people. The organizations selected for this cohort provide housing for people exiting the justice system and focus on helping them re-enter their communities. The second cohort placed greater emphasis on organizations that serve women in reentry and have gender based services. Progress is possible.

Here are 5 Incubation Academy organizations that are serving and transforming the lives of formerly incarcerated women and mothers:

Turning Point helps people of all backgrounds break the cycle of poverty and negative behaviors by providing the resources and tools needed to live productive lives to allow for self-awareness, sobriety, family reunification, and respect for communities to grow.

Raise a Village LA is committed to providing technical support, housing, and intervention programs for recently incarcerated individuals. Raise a Village LA is dedicated to providing information, education, leadership, and advocacy for its clients and the Long Beach community through successful and healthy reintegration and community safety.

Women in Transition Reentry Project works to reduce recidivism by advocating for women and children whose lives have been affected by incarceration and social barriers by providing avenues that lead to self-sufficiency, education, sustainability, and employment.

The Kennedy Austin Foundation is a Family Crisis Intervention Center focusing on mothers that have lost children, women in domestic violence, incarcerated, and families in need.

Pride In Truth is building reentry support for directly impacted people and help for families that are system impacted by mass incarceration to reflect our values of community, liberation, and intergenerational healing.

These organizations create pathways for formerly incarcerated women so that their future success is not defined by their past. It must be recognized that when we put women in jail, we inflict potentially irreparable damage to their families. Mother’s Day this year is a reminder that people behind bars are not nameless ‘offenders’ but beloved family members whose presence and absence matter.

Reuniting Families and Mothers

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