Women were able to continue parenting their children while they served their prison time
Click or tap the image for a gallery of photos by Joe Glode.
In celebration of the holiday season, participants with the Family Preservation Project enjoyed a performance of The Nutcracker on Dec. 20, courtesy of the Oregon Ballet Theater. It was a special reunion for FPP members, all of whom are mothers who served time in prison.
Through the FPP, the women were able to continue parenting their children while they served their time, including regular visits, homework sessions and play time. The program helps preserve the personal family bonds often lost when a member goes to prison. It also provides adult and child education opportunities for parents and their families — inside and outside the prison. It is a partnership between Portland Community College, the Oregon Department of Corrections and the families and children of incarcerated mothers.
The program, and the women and children involved in it, were the subject of a documentary by Portland filmmaker Brian Lindstrom, titled “Mothering Inside.”
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Lindstrom said he made the film to raise awareness about the work of FPP, even while it faced elimination under state budget cuts. When its funding was on the line, the women in the program organized to convince state lawmakers of FPP’s value and role in breaking the cycle of incarceration and poverty. All but one of the women profiled in the film are now free, and FPP continues to operate.
After the ballet, the women and their children gathered for a celebration at the YWCA. The reunion was the first time in many years the families were able to celebrate the holidays together.
