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| Love Me Tender |
| By Tony Bertuca, Internet Reporter |
| Published: 05/30/2005 |
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For those who haven't experienced motherhood, the intense maternal connection following childbirth may be difficult to imagine. From a newborn's first squinting, chirping moments in the world, to the days of feedings and lullabies that follow, the bond between mother and child is cemented. But for a mother who gives birth in prison, this loving connection can be stunted by the wrenching experience of being separated from her newborn child. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice, in conjunction with the University of Texas Medical Branch, has developed a post-partum unit that specializes in fostering the bond between female inmates and their newborns-the Love Me Tender Program. "Human emotions always prevail," said Dr. Ben Raimer, Chief Physician Executive and Vice President of Correctional Managed Healthcare at UTMB. "The moment these women see their baby, I think the toughness melts away and they understand what is most important in life." The Love Me Tender Program, run by UTMB personnel, is operated out of the TDCJ Hospital in Galveston, which treats every pregnant inmate in the state and saw 250 inmate deliveries in 2004. Because approximately three percent of all women offenders are pregnant upon entry into the Texas correctional system, according to UTMB, and many have little or no prenatal care prior to incarceration, the Love Me Tender Program is seen as an important step forward in inmate healthcare. Before Love Me Tender began in January of 2002, mothers were only allowed one visit with their babies during hospitalization and one or two visits during their post-partum stay. "It was episodic and catch as catch can," said Raimer. Since the creation of the program by TDCJ Hospital security officials and the Nursing Staff Administration of UTMB, female inmates have been able to visit and feed their newborns for a period of six weeks after birth, Monday through Friday, two hours a day. "You have to see it to believe it. The mothers are very tender and very happy," said Raimer. "Once, I took a visitor in there on a tour of the facility and we saw a woman crying. When we asked her why, she said it was because she was so happy to hold her baby." All children are born outside the confines of TDCJ in the Carol S. Young Medical Facility of UTMB. After post-partum hospitalization and several visits with their baby, mothers are returned to TDCJ Hospital and their children remain in the maternity ward. Between the hours of 12:30 pm and 2:30 pm, newborns are brought to visit their mothers in the Love Me Tender room, just outside the gates of the Women's Unit, by members of the UTMB nursing staff trained in the transportation of infants. The Love Me Tender room, which Raimer says was renovated specifically for the program at the cost of $35,000, is outfitted with plush sofas, chairs, and a television for mothers to watch educational parenting videos. Although the Love Me Tender Program now enjoys wide acceptance and cooperation among corrections and nursing personnel, Raimer said that many security officials were initially skeptical because the program was the first of its kind in Texas. "We spent a lot of time trying to convince people it was a good idea," he said. "It was just those little barriers that you deal with in corrections like, for instance, how do we get a newborn into the prison facility [when] they have no photo identification, those types of security issues." Despite initial wariness, Raimer said security personnel rose to the challenge and made accommodations for members of the nursing staff who transport the babies. Raimer added that, as time went on, he began to see a softening of attitudes. "We have this charity baby shower for new mothers where we collect things for the babies," said Raimer. "Occasionally, we see the officers sneak over to the collection box and drop in some diapers or toys; it has really done a lot to improve relations between nursing and corrections staff." Along with a chance to spend time with their babies, Love Me Tender also offers new mothers educational material on parenting as well as instruction on the care of newborns and toddlers. "Our nursing staff provides mothers with something called an 'Owner's Manual' which offers information about what they should expect," said Raimer. "We also have hands-on nurses who demonstrate how to care for a baby, how to feed it, and how to hold it." This instruction is crucial because the average sentence of a Texas female inmate is 20 months or less, and children of incarcerated mothers will be between one and two years old when their mother is released to become their primary caregiver. "Experts have written that everything that makes a difference in someone's personality can be pinpointed to their first five years of life," said Dr. Stephanie Covington, an expert from the Center for Gender and Justice who has written about the issues facing incarcerated women. "It is critical from the child's perspective that they bond with their mother. When you punish the mother, you punish the child." Covington also said that motherhood is a valuable tool in rehabilitation and may help women offenders break their cycle of criminal behavior. "Most of the mothers I have interviewed in prison say that their children are the only thing that keep them going," she said. "This type of program is important to the mental health of the women involved." In a system that she said largely ignores the needs of female inmates, Stephanie Covington hopes that the Love Me Tender program sets off of a trend in the criminal justice system. "This program does not represent the majority, the majority is hideously lacking," she said. "Women are not a priority, prisons are built around a male model and are unprepared to deal with issues like women's health and pregnancy." Raimer said he would also like to see the Love Me Tender structure become the norm for the corrections system. "Studies have indicated that this has a profound effect on recidivism," he said. "The more time we can allow women to spend with their children, the more it will influence their choices in the future. This is not just about compassion, it's about changing." |
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