May 26, 1999

Texas Baptists step in
to help when mama goes to prison
___By Russell Rankin
___Buckner News Service
___GATESVILLE--Gloria doesn't look like someone who should be in prison.
___Beautiful, well-spoken and softhearted, Gloria looks like she should be at home, talking with her oldest daughter, Tabitha, about boys. She should be combing little Marisa's hair or helping Crystal and Tasha pick out clothes for school.
___But because of a reckless lifestyle and the decision to get behind the wheel after too many drinks, Gloria spends her days in the Hilltop Unit of the Women's Prison in Gatesville.
___"I thought I was doing a good job in my life and as a parent, but obviously not good

ANNE MOONEY stands outside the Hilltop Unit where she helps jailed mothers love their children.

enough, because I ended up here anyway. I love my children, and I hate being away from my babies," she said, her eyes filling with tears. "I would never want any mother to go through this."
___Despite her imprisonment and anguish over the separationfrom her children, Gloria has found hope within the confinement of the Texas prison system through the Buckner EQUIP Program, which has made a positive change in nearly 300 incarcerated mothers since its inception three years ago.
___EQUIP, an acronym for Enhancing Quality and Understanding in Incarcerated Parents, seeks to promote the development and maintenance of healthy family relationships, reduce the risk of child abuse and neglect, and prepare incarcerated parents for successful reintegration into their families upon release from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, said coordinator Anne Mooney.
___"A lot of parents take (their families) for granted, thinking their children are being supported and nurtured through the school system, health system, their friends or neighbors," Mooney said. "But when parents are separated by incarceration, there is a crisis.
___"EQUIP strives to give parents support by teaching them to lovingly take responsibility for their children. We give them what they need to be effective, supportive parents--even while they are in prison--and help them strengthen that bond not only with their children, but also with the family that is caring for their children," she said.
___Recently, the Buckner EQUIP program received the governor's award as the top family program in the Texas criminal justice system. Despite the accolades, Mooney knows more could be done.
_

GLORIA & DAUGHTER CRYSTAL

__"We serve less than 1 percent of the women who could benefit from EQUIP," she said.
___In 15-week cycles, Mooney leads three classes of 10 women, all with children under 17. One of the first things Mooney does is administer a test to the women to gauge where they stand regarding discipline skills, their understanding of childhood development and their role as a parent. At the end of 15 weeks, the test is retaken.
___"Over the three years we have had the EQUIP classes, our test has revealed that more than 66 percent of the women have shown improvement," Mooney said. "They feel better about themselves, their self-esteem is higher, and they have the energy they need to be a parent."
___"We are all fortunate to be a part of the EQUIP program," said Tonya, an inmate who is proud of her sons, Mario and Byron. "We've learned how to act before reacting"--something most of the women in the program say is a new concept to them--"and we've learned how to nurture our children and provide loving discipline."
___Many incarcerated women have made bad decisions because of the lack of positive parental figures in their lives and are caught in the "cycle of abuse," Mooney said.
___"Children who have parents in prison are more likely to end up in prison themselves," she said. "By strengthening the parents ... we reach the children and therefore break the cycle."
___The imprisoned mothers must put into practice what they have learned through the parenting program, Mooney said, which is the primary reason she initiated EQUIP Family Day, a time for families to come to the prison and visit the mothers.
___Family Day is a joyful gathering of tears and sobs as babies are held for the first time in months, as young children clamor in the somewhat-unfamiliar arms of their mother. It is bittersweet, Mooney said, but gratifying.
___"Family Day is a blessing," said Gloria, gathering her four beautiful daughters around her. "My babies mean everything to me. Before I was put in prison, I never realized how much my children meant to me. Having Family Day shows me that I've still got it in me to go have a good time with my children."

See related story: Rancher's wife rounds up resources for restorative justice

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