Created by Alfreda Robinson in 2003 as a way to serve the needs of women who have criminal records, the National Women’s Prison Project is becoming a key cog in the machinery to break the cycle of recidivism among women in Baltimore.
A Baltimore native, Robinson not only speaks from a place of concern for returning women, but from her own experience serving 9 1/2 years in the federal prison system.
A teacher and high school guidance counselor in the Baltimore City School System for 16 years, Robinson held two master’s degrees, owned her own home and car and was by all standards a successful single parent.
Like most mothers, she said she did all she could for her son, David, but eventually resolved to put him out of her home when she began to notice his out of control behavior.
After his arrest David contacted his mother asking her to call a friend he said owed him enough money–$4,500– to hire an attorney.
Unwittingly involving herself in a crack cocaine drug case, Robinson made that phone call to the friend about the money. The next day her house was raided.
The “friend” she called for her son turned into an informant for immunity and testified against her in court. Claiming that she bought her house with drug money, authorities seized everything and sentenced both mother and son to hard prison time, with David receiving 45 years.
It is a scenario that plays out in courts everyday across America: Girlfriends, sisters, mothers and wives, receive harsh punishments with mandatory minimums for involvement, knowingly and unknowingly, in drug deals.
Released in November 2000, Robinson is now an advocate for the change she firmly believes has to take place within the corrections system.
Providing pre-release programs for women before they put the prison bars behind them, job training, parenting classes for returned women, and toy drives for children whose mothers are still incarcerated, the National Women’s Prison Project (NWPP) offers a wide variety of programming to help women reclaim their future.
NWPP offers on-site clothing and computer assistance for the recently released, along with resume writing classes, family reunification counseling, anger management aid, and psychological therapy sessions.
“So many of the women have traumatic backgrounds that have not been addressed, ” said Robinson, who provides holistic care to the women in her program. “The women keep me passionate about what I do,” Robinson told the AFRO. “I look in a woman’s face and hear the anguish and the stress and the fear of the unknown–the lack of belief in themselves because no one has ever told them they are queens.”
According to reports by the National Reentry Resource Center, (NRRC), which is managed by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, U.S. Department of Justice, of the 58% of women released from jail, 38% are convicted of another crime, with 30% returning to prison to serve time. Studies by the Open Society Institute (OSI), a national social justice organization, report that 62% of all ex-offenders nationwide, male and female, will be re-arrested with 41% returning to prison to serve time.
Men and women released from prison have fewer job opportunities available to them. When coupled with a permanent blight on their record and no support system, it is the children of these returning citizens who ultimately pay the price. The number of children with a mother in prison is currently up 131 percent since 1991, with the number of children with a father serving time up 77%. “Its a scenario set up for failure when you get out of prison and have to report to a probation officer and purchase tracking devices with no income, or be sent back to prison,” said Robinson.
For 2012, Robinson has set her focus on finding jobs for newly released women. “We need to make sure that after training, we have a dedicated job pipeline to actually get people work,” said Robinson. “People coming home from incarceration are more humble and more grateful, they want to demonstrate that they have the skills and ability.”
Today’s tough job market is unforgiving for ex-offenders, she noted. “We really have to work to get some coalitions and collaborations together to ensure that jobs are being set aside for people just getting home and trying to get back on their feet,” said Robinson, who wants to see every major industry set aside up to 15 percent of their vacancies for ex-offenders.
Awarded the Justice Policy Institute’s Reform Changemaker’s Award for her diligent work in the community, Robinson also received the Good Samaritan Award in 2011. With no signs of slowing down anytime soon, the NWPP is currently working with Prisoner’s Aid, The Maryland Department of Corrections, and Health Care for the Homeless and other social service providers. For more information on the National Women’s Project please visit http://www.nwpp-inc.com/ or call 410.233.3385
