CA -- Prison Visiting

Colorado has prisons scattered all over the state, and prisoners as far away as Oklahoma. One of the best ways to reduce recidivism is to keep families connected. It is a considerable hardship for families to be able to visit their loved ones when they are hundreds of miles away. California has started a new program that brings families in and it's as simple as driving a bus.

Donna, a petite blond, is sitting on the floor with her four-year-old granddaughter Dreena in her lap, explaining why, after her daughter Amber's incarceration, her home nearly went into foreclosure. "The rental cars, the hotel rooms, the phone bills..." She becomes teary. "See, I'm crying already," she laughs.

It's 5 a.m., and 72 people have gathered in the pre-dawn hours to ride a bus 265 miles to see their incarcerated mothers, daughters, and sisters. Many cradle sleepy toddlers and infants in their arms.

Today, a bus goes to Chowchilla, the first of its kind in the state (or in any state) funded by the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to bring family members to their incarcerated loved ones; this group is its first riders. The Chowchilla Family Express heads off a series of 26 free trips to Chowchilla's Central California Women's Facility and the Valley State Prison for Women, together the largest women's prison in the world.

"It's been a long time coming, but it's here and it's rolling," says State Senator Gloria Romero, along for the inaugural trip. The sense of accomplishment and joy --- even relief --- is palpable.

Ethel is eager to tell her story. In tow are Ethel's daughter, 12-year-old Sabrina, and three-year-old granddaughter, Msalijah. Msalijah's mother is at Chowchilla; her father, Ethel's son, is in prison as well. Ethel herself did time twice at Chowchilla. Both times she had infant children, and during neither incarceration was she allowed to see her children.

"When I got out in '94," she recalls, "it was the hardest, because I had to do a year of [drug rehabilitation], and Sabrina really didn't know who I was. She was afraid to come to me."

Ethel's situation underscores Wendy Still's observation that collaborative efforts are critical in breaking the intergenerational cycle of incarceration. Still, the associate director of Women's Offender Programs and Services, points out that family reunification is crucial to successful re-entry.

The Tidings Article