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`U' students, community defend county jail program

Can the psychological needs of incarcerated mothers and children be met in a time of prison overcrowding? University students and community members think so, and are speaking out in support of a Washentaw County Jail program that focuses on these concerns.

Supporters of the Children's Visitation Program, which gives families time for physical contact and emotional bonding, wanted assurances from prison officials that the program will not be cut in the future. A group of about 20 supporters protested at the jail Thursday night to demand continuation of the program.

Developed by Christina José-Kempfner, assistant professor of psychology at Eastern Michigan, the program gives participating mothers supervised contact with their children for three hours each month.

José-Kempfner wrote her dissertation on the effects of incarceration on families.

"Once the kids are separated from their mothers, you could see how their school performance went down the drain," José-Kempfner said. "They couldn't concentrate on their work. Once the children were able to see their mother, their school work improved, their behavior improved."

Mothers also suffer from the separation. "The No. 1 worry (for mothers) in prison is their children. The one thing that I hear all the time is, `My children, my children, how are my children,'" José-Kempfner said.

LSA senior Rachael Morris, who helps run the program at the jail with José-Kempfner, said the program often serves as the only link between family members. "This is, a lot of the time, the only opportunity (the children have) to see their mothers at all," Morris said.

Prison officials considered cutting the program earlier this year to convert the visitation room into a courtroom. Demand for the courtroom and a lack of space in the jail is causing problems, said WCJ Commander Mark Ptaszek. "The bottom line is that we are getting squeezed out," Ptaszek said.

The jail has been overcrowded several times since the beginning of last year, with the latest incident leading to the release of 28 low-risk prisoners, Ptaszek said. The size of the jail, which is about half that of jails for comparatively large populations, is a major cause of the overcrowding.

Ptaszek said that while the program was spared for the present time, a lack of space will force this program to compete for space with other programs, such as General Educational Development test training and substance abuse programs.

The protest occurred before Thursday's meeting of the Sheriff's Community Relations Advisory Board. Program supporters also spoke during the meeting.

At the meeting, Washtenaw County Sheriff Ron Schebil agreed that the program was of value. "Philosophically, we don't disagree with Christina at all," he said.

Schebil said the issue is one of space. Addressing the group, he said, "We have people living in classrooms, we have people on the floor in gymnasiums. I need your help ... about the space issue."

Schebil also expressed concern over the program's security. "(The program) needs to be in a secure area ... it would require a lot more personnel than we have," he said. "I have to run a secure institution."

Community activists and other program supporters questioned the validity of the space issue, claiming the program time requirements are minimal. "This is a program for three hours in one day, for one month," community activist Paquetta Parker said. "I don't see how the space issue is a problem."

Though the program is still in place, students at the protest are not satisfied. RC senior Jaime Nass said that she feels the program is still in danger. "I don't feel as though the sheriff has voiced commitment to seeing the program fully reinstated," Nass said.