{"id":5760,"date":"2017-05-08T16:20:03","date_gmt":"2017-05-08T20:20:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/blog\/?p=5760"},"modified":"2022-05-04T11:46:03","modified_gmt":"2022-05-04T15:46:03","slug":"mothers-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.prisonpolicy.org\/blog\/2017\/05\/08\/mothers-day\/","title":{"rendered":"Bailing moms out for Mother’s Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

This report is has been updated with a new version for 2022<\/a>. <\/p>\n

This Mother’s Day, 120,000 incarcerated mothers will spend the day apart from their children. Over half<\/a> of all women in U.S. prisons – and 80% of women in jails<\/a> \u2013 are mothers, most of them primary caretakers<\/a> of their children. An estimated 9,000<\/a> women are pregnant upon arrival to prison or jail each year. Yet most of these women are incarcerated for non-violent<\/a> offenses, and many are held in jail awaiting trial because they can’t afford bail. The good news is this year, you can take action to help reconnect children with their mothers. <\/p>\n

National Mama’s Bail Out action<\/h3>\n

During this week, a collection of over two dozen local and national organizations will bail out<\/a> as many mothers as possible, who would otherwise spend Mother’s Day in a cell simply because they cannot afford bail. This effort focuses on bailing out Black mothers (including birth, trans, and other women who mother); Black children are seven times<\/a> more likely than white children to have a parent incarcerated. Over a dozen cities are participating across the country. You can donate bail funds here (link no longer active)<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Bills to keep primary caretakers out of prison<\/h3>\n

In Massachusetts, the “Primary Caretakers”<\/a> bill (S. 770) would allow parents and other primary caretakers convicted of nonviolent crimes to request a non-prison alternative. Once enacted, courts would make written findings about caregiver status and availability of alternatives before sentencing. Tennessee’s HB 825<\/a> and SB 919<\/a> follow the model of the Massachusetts bill. If you live in one of these states, you can find your legislator<\/a> to weigh in on these bills.<\/p>\n

Harms to children caused by parental incarceration <\/h3>\n

Keeping parents out of jail and prison is critical to protect children from the known harms of parental incarceration, including: <\/p>\n