Statistics show that more than half of prison inmates have children of their own. The situation is hard for both the child and the parent. However, the forced separation of the incarcerated parent and their child(ren) during the duration of their sentence, which may include several months or even years, is often harder on the child. With a parent doing time behind bars, the child has one less parent to care for them. Not to mention, children often report feeling abandoned or even angry when one of their parents is in prison. As for the incarcerated parent, they may worry their child won’t remember them or will hold bad feelings towards them while they’re away. I personally can’t fathom what that would feel like on either end.
Women’s Storybook Project of Texas in Austin is trying to make the transition of having an incarcerated mother easier on children. Since it was founded over a decade ago, the non-profit began connecting the separated mothers and children via voice recordings. Volunteers associated with the organization visit prisons once a month to have mothers record a storybook for their child(ren). The finished recording along with the book itself is then mailed to the home of the child(ren).
Jessica Ochoa is one mother who got to participate in the program seven years ago. After she was sent to prison for eight months following a charge for driving under the influence, she worried that her bond with her children Jessalyn (age 7 at the time) and Xavier (age 2 at the time) would be permanently ruined.
“When you make mistakes, it doesn’t just affect you, it affects your family as a whole,” the mother said.
However, the non-profit helped ease those worries for her, indirectly connecting her to her children and vice versa.
“I didn’t want them to think I abandoned them. The storybook project was a lot of help. I was able to talk to them and they were able to feel comfort through hearing me read to them.”
Jessalyn is now 14-years-old, but she still remembers and appreciates the voice recording.
“I remember the book helped because I felt like I still had her voice and I could just listen to it whenever I wanted. I could just press play whenever I went to bed or whenever I wanted to hear it,” the daughter said. “It makes a huge difference to have that connection and know that my mom didn’t abandon me.”
Since 2003, Woman’s Storybook Project recorded and sent over 37,000 storybooks and their audio recordings from over 18,000 incarcerated mothers. The non-profit continues to collect recordings from mothers behind bars to help both mom and child cope a little easier during the separation.
Watch below or check out the Texas organization’s website to learn more.
