A new program at the Daviess County Detention Center promotes positive life choices for female inmates who have children. The “Beyond the Bars: Project Hope” program was initiated at a local level through the Green River District Health Department (GRDHD), and the group of females attended their second session on Tuesday.
The program is facilitated by Linda Wahl, program supervisor for the Building Stronger Families division of the GRDHD, and Wahl said she’s already seen positive improvements come from the once-a-week sessions.
“There’s been a lot of laughter, a lot of tears. But this gives the women a chance to talk about their struggles,” Wahl said.
Wahl credits the Public Life Foundation (PLF), a nonprofit organization in Owensboro, for taking the program down a different track than it had in the past. The PLF encouraged existing female inmates to voice their concerns, stressors and ideas for topics of discussion ahead of the local program’s inception. This made the Project Hope program a more personal experience for the 18 women who were selected to participate.
“They came at this issue a different way. We asked [the inmates], ‘What would help you?’” Wahl said.
One recurring issue that affects female inmates with children is the tumultuous process of getting back on their feet after being released. With these women being parents as well, it can be even more difficult to focus on rehabilitation and success strategies after jail. The program helps women with goal setting, organization and developing structure.
“One thing we heard is that they’re trying to find a job, a place to live, a way to achieve sobriety,” Wahl said. “That can be difficult for some of them, on top of being a parent.”
Inmates enrolled in the program meet with Wahl every Tuesday from 9 – 11 a.m. and discuss various aspects of their life outside the jail walls, including their children and families. For many incarcerated women, the prospect of seeing their child after being released from jail can be encouraging.
However, the reality of going right back to full-time parenting, oftentimes with children who are either overly excited to be with their mother again or angry with their mothers for leaving, can take a toll on the women and send them right back to square one.
“The Public Life Foundation was looking at early childhood. They had a focus group called the Design Impact Group who came in a year and a half ago, and when we started talking to people in the community, they told us that families are struggling because of mothers being incarcerated,” Wahl said.
Children can become angry after seeing their mothers post-incarceration, Wahl said, so one of the big focuses for the Project Hope program includes trust issues and rebuilding relationships.
“There’s attachment [from kids] after you’ve been separated, and there’s a lot of anger. We teach the women how to handle that,” Wahl said.
Jailer Art Maglinger said the women will be able to interact with their children via video toward the end of the program.
“They’re going to record them reading a book and send it to the kids at the end. That’ll be the first time some of those kids get to hear their mom’s voice since being incarcerated,” Maglinger said. “I believe the first step to solving a lot of the community’s problems is at the family level. This gives them a tool to build healthier families. I’m very thankful to Linda and the Building Stronger Families organization for bringing this program here.”
