Family ties

For mothers in prison, children can be key to rehabilitation, with parenting classes and visits paving way to self-improvement

Barbed wire is part of the daily backdrop for Jacquelyn Pedranti, an MCI-Framingham inmate who has turned her life around while in prison. (Joanne Rathe/Globe Staff)

Four years ago, Jacquelyn Pedranti had served only eight months of her prison sentence, and didn't know what to do about her son. He was acting up, demanding to know why he couldn't sleep in the same house as his mother.

Pedranti didn't know what to tell him. She was struggling to come to terms with her own situation. In an interview at the time, she couldn't even bring herself to discuss the crime for which she had been convicted: drug trafficking.

Now, still incarcerated, the 32-year-old appears to have undergone a remarkable transformation. In a recent interview at MCI-Framingham, Pedranti was upbeat, open about her mistakes, excited about the future, and, she said, closer than ever to her son.

"Coming here was a blessing. I could have ended up dead," she said. "I had to better myself in here for him."

Pedranti said she has just finished her last class for a bachelor's degree in liberal arts and interdisciplinary studies at Boston University, and expects to graduate in May. She is looking forward to moving, perhaps within a month, to a minimum-security facility where she can have extended visits with her son - up to 48 hours, instead of just a few hours at a time. She hopes to be paroled next year.

She credits much of her progress to her connection with her 12-year-old son, Jerry, maintained over the past few years through regular visits and daily phone calls, as well as several programs at the prison, including ones that specifically promote family ties.

Most American women in prison are mothers. Advocates say efforts at rehabilitating members of the fast-growing population of women in prison must be specific to their gender and to their roles as mothers, and an inmate like Pedranti demonstrates just how important - and effective - specialized programs can be.

The University of Massachusetts at Boston's Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy released a study this summer that reported a lack of support nationwide for mothers behind bars, despite the overwhelming share of incarcerated women that are poor, single mothers.

Although the report, "Parenting from Prison: Family Relationships of Incarcerated Women in Massachusetts," found that progress has been made in recent years, it also defined a number of areas in which improvement is badly needed.

Pedranti's story is the goal, not the norm.

"It sounds like her situation is fairly functional compared to some of the stories that we heard," said Paige Ransford, the study's project director. "It's what some of these women who we talk to strive for or hope to get to."

The report relied partly on interviews with 48 women, chosen at random, largely from MCI-Framingham, the state's only prison for women.

Of the 48 women, about two-thirds (33 inmates) said they are mothers. Of the mothers, 49 percent reported never receiving visits from their children, a rate that is slightly lower than the national figure, according to the report. Mail and telephone contact are more common.

The report lauded MCI-Framingham's Family Preservation program, which includes three full-time staff members who coordinate parenting education and support groups, as well as volunteer programs.

It also praised the facility's family visiting area, describing it as "bright" and "open," and stated that the quantity and variety of programs at the prison are "a testament to the institution's commitment to offering opportunities for inmates to develop key life skills in preparation for reentry, including skills related to parenting and relationship-building."

The report cited numerous studies that show contact between mother and child can help both, potentially reducing recidivism rates and preventing the children from behavioral problems associated with having a parent in prison. It also identified obstacles to meaningful contact, and offered several recommendations.

One challenge identified in the report is transportation for the inmates' children, who may live long distances from the prison, and it recommends developing a system for providing assistance, possibly using vouchers, as a way to support more frequent visits.

The Girl Scouts run a program for the children of inmates that includes transportation for visits, but the numbers served represent a fraction of the need. Last year the program included about 26 girls from Greater Boston, according to Kimberly Zouzoua, director of community collaboration for the Girls Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts, and the group expects to serve 50 girls this year.

One inmate wrote a grateful letter to the Girl Scouts, saying that she had gone 2 1/2 years without seeing her daughter, and is now thrilled to see her monthly, said Zouzoua.

The report also recommends outreach to the caregivers who are responsible for the children, in the form of parenting classes, and more attention to their needs. More staff for the Family Preservation program and expanded options to allow more inmates to take part in the program would also help, according to the report.

Extended visits, which are available in some other states, are also recommended. MCI-Framingham has taken a step toward that and will soon offer inmates the use of a trailer, where one inmate at a time can have up to a six-hour visit with their child in a more private setting, according to Joseph Murphy, the prison's deputy superintendent.

In addition to parenting support, MCI-Framingham has several dozen programs for inmates, including help with substance- abuse recovery, job training, and exercise and recreational activities.

"Visiting in general is probably the most important thing for inmates," said Murphy. "And all the research says it's healthy for the children."

State Representative Kay Khan, a Newton Democrat, said that, even with recent improvements, the state isn't doing enough for mothers behind bars.

Parenting classes are fine, but inmates need more time to practice actually being parents with their children, she said. One example she likes: In New York, a summer camp organized by the state and a charitable group allows quality time between mothers and their children in a healthy setting.

"My feeling is that we could as a state be doing much more than is currently happening," said Khan, who has filed several pieces of related legislation over the last 14 years without much success. "I don't feel that there has been much movement to improve the services that we could possibly provide, that could make a difference not only for the children, but also help prepare women for release."

She said she would like to see state correctional officials explore many more options.

"In the long run, it would save money, because you would perhaps be able to reduce recidivism," said Khan. "I'm hopeful under the Patrick administration we'll be able to tackle these things more realistically."

For many women, the outreach to caregivers and help with transportation for visits might be two of the keys to progress.

Although her son lives with his father in Fall River, Pedranti's parents bring Jerry to visit her every two weeks.

"It's everything," she said. "I don't live for me anymore. I live for him."

She said she is keenly aware of what happens when mothers lose contact with their children, adding she has been watching a friend deteriorate since her family stopped bringing her children for visits.

"You can see the pain and suffering on her face," said Pedranti.

There are still many questions about Pedranti's future - what she will do for work and where her son will live are only two. He may choose to stay with his father; Pedranti said that is fine as long as she can stay involved.

But with the help of the prison's classes, Pedranti said, she feels she knows how to be a parent.

"I learned how to deal with situations completely different," she said. "I've learned how to have conversations with my son. I know how to talk with him instead of at him."

Lisa Kocian can be reached at 508-820-4231 or lkocian@ globe.com.