Analysis of Prison Nursery Benefits and Program Strategies: Alaska Department of Corrections Opportunity for Reduction in Recidivism and Improved Bonding between Incarcerated Mothers and Their Infants Prepared by: Lawrence Dean Marshall University of Alaska Anchorage College of Business and Public Policy Public Administration 659 Capstone Presentation April 15, 2011 Good Morning. My name is Dean Marshall. Thank you for taking your time to support the Spring 2011 Capstone program. I would like to especially acknowledge my client, Dr. Mark Erickson from the South Central Foundation, as well as my family and friends that are in attendance today. Dr. Erickson is the client for my project, and his assistance has been invaluable, as has been the assistance of all the Professors in the MPA department. My gratitude and thanks to each of you. My Capstone policy project consisted of analyzing the benefits of prison nurseries and evaluating strategies for establishing a Prison Nursery in the Alaska Department of Corrections .

Presentation Agenda Overview of the Problem General Background Information Review of Attachment Theory Literature Review Research Findings Recommendations for Alaska DOC In most prison systems across the nation, female offenders are separated from their infants shortly after delivery at the hospital. This separation leads to the absence of the foundation that is critical for later personality growth leading to healthy adult relationships. A prison nursery program allows incarcerated mothers to co-reside with their infants from birth through the critical stages of early development (approximately 24 months). Prison nurseries have a wide-ranging impact in terms of the practical cost to society, the impact on the child, and the impact on the mother. At a cost of $258 million, the AK Department of Corrections has the largest budget of all the criminal justice agencies in the state. That includes Public Safety, the Court System, the Department of Law, the Public Defenders Agency, and the Office of Public Advocacy. Some additional long-term societal costs are generated through the subsequent incarceration of the children of incarcerated parents. Many of these children are raised in foster care, receiving public assistance, which is an additional cost. Research shows that mothers who are allowed to co-reside with their infants in a correctional setting are substantially more likely to be rehabilitated, as demonstrated by reduced recidivism (Goshin & Byrne, 2009).

Research Questions Do prison nurseries reduce recidivism in Corrections agencies? Do prison nurseries have improved outcomes for the mothers? Do prison nurseries have improved outcomes for infants? Does Alaska DOC need a prison nursery program? Read Below I considered four (4) research questions for this project. Do prison nurseries reduce recidivism in Corrections agencies? Do prison nurseries have improved outcomes for the mothers? Do prison nurseries have improved outcomes for infants? Does the profile of the female prisoner population in Alaska DOC support the need for a prison?

Methodology Non-experimental Descriptive Research Design Surveyed & Interviewed Key Informant s at 6 Prison Nurseries Extensive Literature Review Evaluated Strategies for Nursery Program Implementation. Key informant interviews were an essential component of my methodology. I was fortunate to be able to interview Dr. Mary Byrne and her assistant, Barbara Blanchard of Columbia University. Dr. Byrne is one of the nation’s preeminent experts on prison nurseries, having conducted extensive research, including longitudinal studies in the nation’s longest existing nursery program at Bedford Hills and Taconic Correctional Facilities in the New York State Department of Corrections. I used emailed survey questionnaires and telephonic interviews with key informants associated with existing prison nursery programs across the nation. Based on survey literature, this investigator exceeded the expect 50% response rate for this type of instrument.

Problem: Cost of Incarceration National Yearly Cost: $68 Billion AK DOC Budget : $258 million $128.93 per day, per prisoner $645,000.00 per day for 5000 prisoners. One in every 31 US adults in prison system One in 36 Alaskans under DOC supervision, including probation and parole Approximately 5000 Alaskans are in prison 95% of offenders return to local communities 66% will be arrested again.

Female Offender Demographics US Prisoners: 1,500,000 Incarcerated Parents: 809 ,000 Mothers: 65,000 Pregnant at Arrest: 4% Estimated Children: 17 Million The majority of women in the correctional system are mothers, and a major consideration for these women is reunification with their children. The female prison population includes a greater representation of women from poor backgrounds. Many have histories that include drug use, mental illness, and victimization. Interviews with 100 incarcerated mothers cited “the agony of being separated from her children and the resulting emotional turmoil, including shame, depression, anger, sorrow, and rejection, along with an overwhelming fear that children would never understand the separation. The 2009 average daily female offender count for Alaska was 645 prisoners. Approximately 8900 women were processed into the system during 2009.

Children With Incarcerated Parents: Have below-average academic performance Have high drop out rates Suffer from long-term emotional challenges Develop delinquent habits / Criminal behavior Many are placed in Foster care Children of the incarcerated may have long-term emotional and behavioral challenges. Many internalize their feelings, which has been shown to contribute to depression, anxiety, and substance abuse later in life. Other studies showed that this at risk population has “higher rates of troubling behaviors, including aggression, depression, anxiety, parentified behaviors, substance abuse, and an increased risk of a incarceration.” Another study determined that neurochemical systems that regulate social development develop abnormally in the absence of parental nurturing in infancy. This abnormality stimulates reward pathways in the brain that are associated with violence and addiction later in life. Additional costs include of higher levels of social welfare use, such as Medicare, Food Stamps, and WIC, by adults that graduated from the foster care system. are used at a fairly high rate. In a 2005 study of 140 former foster care residents, the University of Alaska found that nearly 30% were incarcerated for some period of time after leaving foster care. There appears to be a potential connection between the incarcerated mother, the child in foster care, and intergenerational incarceration.

Attachment Theory Secure Attachment is critical to the healthy social and emotional development of a child. It Requires: Mothers are available and responsive The caregiver is dependable The Infant establish a sense of security Child has secure base to explore the world Attachment theory was established primarily through the work of John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth. A child’s tie to his mother is produced by a number of behaviors by the mother and child that maintains a physical proximity between the mother and child. The scientific literature clearly establishes the importance of attachment theory in child development. The attachment formed during this early stage of development has significant impact on the child’s later success in life. Numerous longitudinal studies have concluded that early attachment patterns are important to the emotional, social, and intellectual development of the child. The results of a longitudinal study by Dr. Byrne showed that 75% of the children raised in a prison nursery for a year or more were classified as securely attached. This shows that mothers with the poor social history of many incarcerated women can establish effective attachment with their infants through the intervention of the prison nursery.

Recidivism Findings (%) One of the most exciting outcomes proclaimed by the administrators in each of the programs surveyed has been a phenomenal reduction in the rate of recidivism among the program participants when compared to the rate found in general population inmates. Even at the lowest reduction in the rate of recidivism, Alaska would have a 43% decrease in recidivism among this group of prisoners. The anticipated rate of recidivism in a nursery program is 23%.

Projected Savings At $129 per bed-day there is a projected savings of $275,640.75 per year for the bed-days not filled by mothers returning to prison. Additional long-term savings are anticipated due to the demonstrated improved outcomes for the infants nurtured in the prison nursery.

Recommendations Create legislation that develops a co-residing nursery program to address the critical issues of attachment and child development for women and the infants they deliver during incarceration. Explore and pursue grants, community partnerships, and available services such as WIC and Medicaid to assist in supporting costs for the program.  Locate the initial co-residing prison nursery program in the DOC facility with the largest population of female prisoners. Given the strong empirical data supporting the demonstrated benefits and the projected cost savings of a prison nursery program, it is in the best interest of the State of Alaska, incarcerated mothers, and their children to develop a prison nursery in the Alaska Department of Corrections.

Questions?