EVERYDAY LIFE ON J UNIT

“J Unit” is the name given to the housing building for the mothers and babies in the Residential Parenting Program (RPP), a minimum security area.

The J Unit is constructed like an “H”: inmates’ sleeping quarters are arranged down two long corridors. The Residential Parenting Program participants, including mothers, babies, and several caregivers, are located along one wing. Each mother-baby pair has their own small room which houses an adult bed, a baby crib or toddler bed, dresser, and desk. In the mother-baby wing, there is a well-furnished playroom, a children's bathing and diapering room, a clothes washer and dryer, and a small kitchenette to prepare snacks for the children. Every month, the pediatrician serving the unit sets up her examination room in this wing.

The middle part connecting the sleeping wings has two lounges for the inmates and the children. There are offices located here for the program administrator, counselors, and officers. An enclosed play area outside in back, nestled between the two wings, has plenty of large toys for the children.


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