Program Unites Girl Scouts, Moms Behind Bars
Troop Meetings Held At Local Jail
POSTED: 3:56 pm EDT October 23,
2009
UPDATED: 6:39 pm EDT October 23,
2009
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BOSTON -- Every month a bus full of Girl Scouts pulls up for a visit at a local prison, but they are not selling cookies.
Program Unites Girl Scouts, Moms Behind Bars NewsCenter 5's Bianca de la Garza reported that the Girl Scouts Beyond Bars program work with girls whose mother's are incarcerated."Every night before I go to bed, I look at (pictures of) them and thank God I have awesome children and as supportive as they are," inmate Tina Ward said.But there are never hugs or kisses. The prison walls make that impossible for Ward."I stay up wondering what are they doing. How are they feeling. What are they going through. If they would ever forgive me for mistakes I made," Ward said.Mistakes have landed the Beverly mother in prison twice since 2001. This time she is serving three years for breaking and entering, a crime she committed to feed her addiction to cocaine and pills.Her three daughters, including middle daughter, Jasmine, have seen it all."I'm not going to say I don't want to be like my mom because in some ways I do, but like in some ways, I don't want to be like her," she said.Now Jasmine is getting support through the Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts. Her troop is holding meetings at the South Middlesex Correctional Center, where for a few hours one Saturday a month, the inmates can reunite with their daughters."Waiting for a visit, you, like, get excited once it comes. Then there is not as much time as you want, so it gets harder. And then when it's time to leave, I get heartbroken," Jasmine said.The visits are unique because they are structured. The Girl Scouts talk about things like respect and self worth with both the moms and daughters.Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts CEO Ruth Bramson said the program currently has a waiting list of more than 100."By reconnecting with their daughters and rebuilding those relationships, they are able to think about leaving prison and starting their lives again," Bramson said.Ward will be released next summer."It hurts when I think about what they've been through because I could have done better," Ward said.
Program Unites Girl Scouts, Moms Behind Bars NewsCenter 5's Bianca de la Garza reported that the Girl Scouts Beyond Bars program work with girls whose mother's are incarcerated."Every night before I go to bed, I look at (pictures of) them and thank God I have awesome children and as supportive as they are," inmate Tina Ward said.But there are never hugs or kisses. The prison walls make that impossible for Ward."I stay up wondering what are they doing. How are they feeling. What are they going through. If they would ever forgive me for mistakes I made," Ward said.Mistakes have landed the Beverly mother in prison twice since 2001. This time she is serving three years for breaking and entering, a crime she committed to feed her addiction to cocaine and pills.Her three daughters, including middle daughter, Jasmine, have seen it all."I'm not going to say I don't want to be like my mom because in some ways I do, but like in some ways, I don't want to be like her," she said.Now Jasmine is getting support through the Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts. Her troop is holding meetings at the South Middlesex Correctional Center, where for a few hours one Saturday a month, the inmates can reunite with their daughters."Waiting for a visit, you, like, get excited once it comes. Then there is not as much time as you want, so it gets harder. And then when it's time to leave, I get heartbroken," Jasmine said.The visits are unique because they are structured. The Girl Scouts talk about things like respect and self worth with both the moms and daughters.Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts CEO Ruth Bramson said the program currently has a waiting list of more than 100."By reconnecting with their daughters and rebuilding those relationships, they are able to think about leaving prison and starting their lives again," Bramson said.Ward will be released next summer."It hurts when I think about what they've been through because I could have done better," Ward said. Copyright 2010 by TheBostonChannel.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
