A Photodocumentary Project at the WCCW
by Cheryl Hanna-Truscott in Collaboration with Inmates and Staff

In 1999, the Washington Corrections Center for Women created a unique prison nursery program combining a residential parenting program with Early Head Start. This program, known as the Residential Parenting Program, allows pregnant, minimum security inmates with sentences of less than 30 months the opportunity to keep their babies with them after giving birth. The inmate mothers and babies/toddlers live together in a designated unit and receive support and education in alliance with skilled early childhood educators. An unexpected side-effect is the humanizing of the prison atmosphere for other inmates and for the staff.

Currently, there are seven Galleries combining text and photographs to explain the RPP at WCCW. These galleries are:

• Selection describes the sorting out process in which a pregnant inmate at WCCW becomes accepted to the RPP.
• Every Day Life provides basic information about living in J Unit, the building where the RPP participants are housed.
• At Play addresses concerns some critics have expressed about gross motor development of toddlers in penitentiary systems.
• Caregivers honors the critical importance of nurturing support systems within the prison setting.
• Early Head Start, a critical and distinguished component of the RPP at WCCW, provides developmentally appropriate stimulation to the children and effective parenting support to the inmate mothers.
• Special Occasions reflects on the administrative philosophy at the WCCW which believes that connecting inmates with their families during incarceration strengthens outside support networks, honors the Children of Incarcerated Parents Bill of Rights and reduces recidivism amongst released offenders.
• Release briefly touches on the concerns of former offenders once their time has been served.

While the social issues of incarcerated pregnant women may be addressed in several ways, I believe that the Residential Parenting Program at WCCW merits attention. In Learn About the RPP, theory underlying the creation of prison nurseries which recognize the social and neurobiological importance of supporting the mother-baby bond is briefly discussed. Moms' Stories are a collection of portraits and personal reflections recorded during conversations with the inmates. The General Information section is a collection of materials related to the documentary project including Statistics, Links, Fundraising, Moms' Stories, the Children of Incarcerated Parents Bill of Rights, the Guestbook and Kudos

I hope that sharing what I have found will prove to be informative and inspirational.
Cheryl Hanna-Truscott, 2009