According to a judge in Houston a woman can run-over her spouseand still get custody of their children.
Last week, Clara Harris, the women convicted of murdering herhusband in a hotel parking lot after catching him with hismistress, was given joint-custody of their twin 5-year old sons.Giving convicted felons the right to raise their children isquestionable. At the same time mothers raising their children whileimprisoned is not a new practice, particularly in foreigncountries.
In India, mothers have the option of taking children up to theage of five with them to jail. In a New Delhi prison, children aregiven three meals a day and attend classes every day. Then atnight, they go back to their mothers’ cells.
Lisa Ling did a story for National Geographic where she spokewith Kashi, an Indian inmate imprisoned for selling heroin. Kashihas one child living with her, while her other children are beingraised by her 16-year old son. Ling questioned which livingsituation was more desirable for these children.
Bangladesh, Lebanon and Thailand are some other countries withstate-sponsored programs for children of female inmates. InThailand some of its prisons even have a respective nursery for alimited number of children. Those kids visit their mothers everyTuesday.
Somewhat similar programs are brewing in the United States. Lingvisited the St. Gabriel Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women.At the prison, about 75 percent of the inmates are mothers. JohnnieJones, SGLCI Warden, promotes bringing more children to thefacility so it would have more of a family feeling rather than aprison.The problem is that SGLCI is a prison. According toLouisiana and Texas law, the SGLCI inmates and Harris arecriminals. Part of their punishment is to take away basic freedoms.Raising a child is an act of freedom.
Assuming there was no corruption in the prisoners’convictions, they did commit crimes endangering the lives ofothers. Looking back at Harris, she was given a reduced sentence of20 years because she had acted with “sudden passion.”Is she emotionally stable to raise children from behind bars oreven in society if she gets out on appeals?
While the Harris boys have their new guardians and theirgrandparents, many prison parent children go from one foster hometo the next.
Many taxpayers are already tired of paying for criminals’living expenses, not to mention building nurseries. Politician(s)could argue that nurseries would benefit the children, while yettheir parents are the real benefactors.
Being able to raise a child in prison is the ultimate luxury forthe parent. The inmate is given the freedom to be with their child.That freedom could eventually hurt the child.
Those children subject to living from one foster home to thenext are especially at risk. That is why the American fostersystems should be improved on rather than building prisonnurseries.
