Taconic Correctional Facility
Unlike most re-entry programs, Hour Children begins working with women and their children while the mothers are still incarcerated. Prison-based services aim to allow for as much parent-child interaction as possible, and support the mother in preparation for her release and reunification with her children. Hour Children holds the Family Services Contract from the New York State Department of Corrections to manage the Taconic Correctional Children Center.
Bedford Correctional Facility
In the Bedford Correctional Facility in New York State, pregnant women and mothers, if accepted, can care for their babies in nursery for one year. After that time, if the mother is not eligible for an extension, the child must be placed outside the facility. Some mothers place their children with Hour Children’s caregivers in the community and eventually reunite with them in an Hour Children residence. These children visit their mothers weekly in order to maintain the parent-child bond.
Bayview Correctional Facility
At Bayview Correctional Facility, Hour Children staff provide ongoing advocacy support. Children are provided with school supplies each year, and with books to take home. A Children’s Book Week is held two times a year. Weekly vans transport children for weekend visits.
As a particular need arises, the Hour Children staff invites in outside experts to present information and create open discussion.
Topics include:
- Understanding the Public School System
- Parental Rights and Responsibilities with Special Education
- Discipline
- Communicate with Teenagers
In 1995, Hour Children became a work-release site for mothers leaving the nursery with a baby. Incarcerated mothers have little communication with their children and those caring for their children. These women are often devastated and preoccupied by separation from their children. They need help arranging communication with caregivers, foster care workers, teachers, and psychologists. Hour Children advocates also facilitate phone calls and visits.
