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Lucy Nicholson / Reuters
Cori Walters, 32, right, hugs her daughter Hannah Walters, 6, at the California Institute for Women state prison in Chino, Calif., May 5. An annual Mother's Day event, Get On The Bus, brings children in California to visit their mothers in prison. Sixty percent of parents in state prison report being held over 100 miles from their children.
Reuters photographer Lucy Nicholson:
The children bounded off the bus and ran excitedly towards a tall fence topped with razor wire. In the distance, through layers of fencing overlooked by a guard tower, huddled a group of mothers in baggy blue prison-issue clothes, pointing, waving and gasping. Many had not seen their children in over a year.
Lucy Nicholson / Reuters
Mothers watch their children arrive to visit at the California Institute for Women state prison in Chino, Calif., May 5.
Frank Martinez jumped up and down, shrieking with delight. “Stay right there Mommy,” he yelled. “Don’t cry.” As the children disappeared into a building to be searched and x-rayed, a couple of the mothers began sobbing.
An annual Mother’s Day event, Get On The Bus, provides free transport for hundreds of children to visit their incarcerated moms at California Institute for Women in Chino, and other state prisons. Sixty percent of parents in state prison report being held over 100 miles from their children, and visits are impossible for many.
Lucy Nicholson / Reuters
Fulorise Gadson, right, of Riverside hugs her daughter Ken'yida Draper, 7.
California locks up more women than any other state in the U.S. — 11,250 in 2007 – and three quarters are mothers. The children left behind with family or in foster care often feel abandoned and some don’t see their moms for years.
Regular prison visits lower rates of recidivism for the parent, and make the child better emotionally adjusted and less likely to become delinquent, according to The Center for Restorative Justice Works, the non-profit organization that runs the Get on the Bus program.
Reuters reporter Mary Slosson and I choked back tears as we walked into a large room packed with mothers throwing their arms around their kids, spinning them round in tight hugs. A shriek rose above the cacophony of voices and laughter every time a new child was escorted in.
“You’ve grown!” “Your feet are as big as mine!” “I’ve missed you,” came the cries.
Outside, Norma Ortiz, 31, cooed and fed her eleven-month-old son Axel with a bottle of milk for the first time since he was taken away after she gave birth to him in the prison. Her mother Olga, 55, and her three sons surrounded her protectively. I asked Norma how it felt to see her baby. “I can’t talk about that,” she said, nodding towards her sons. “I need to be strong for them”.
Lucy Nicholson / Reuters
Levell Jones, 7, who has not seen his mother in 17 months, holds up a card for her.
Other mothers chased their children around the climbing bars, and down the slide in a small playground, as a burly prison guard paced the perimeter. Most quietly chatted, or played board games during the few hours they had together.
Children stood on tiptoes to push the coins they had brought into vending machines, which were off limits to the inmates. They carried back bags of chips and soda gifts for their moms.
Lucy Nicholson / Reuters
Camille Glinton, left, kisses her mother Luz Gonzalez.
“I know how to do side flips,” boasted seven-year-old Levell Jones to his mother Shonta Montgomery, 28, who said she was serving time for involuntary manslaughter. It was the first time he had seen her in seventeen months. Montgomery clasped his face, sat him down, and began tying his shoe lace. “When you go home, wash your laces just like we used to do,” she told him.
“No-one wants to see their relative behind bars,” said Christal Huerta, 22, who was visiting her mother Sonia Huerta, 36, with her 12-year-old sister Breeanna Huerta. Their father was deported to Mexico three years ago, and now Christal takes care of her two sisters at their grandmother’s home. “It’s kind of sad, because you expect to have both parents with you, teaching you how to become an adult and how to become responsible,” she said. “But they’ve taught me enough to teach my other sisters.”
Lucy Nicholson / Reuters
Cali Farmer, 4, cries as she hugs her mother, Netta Farmer.
“You need to have a lot of strength and patience to deal with things that come. I’m just glad my parents are still alive, and I could see them. Others aren’t so lucky. I’m just very happy for the things I do have. I always try to stay positive.”
As the afternoon slipped away, and the guards began to call for children to board buses back to different cities in California, a quiet settled over the yard. Lakisha Perry, 29, cradled her daughter Stephanie with her arms and kissed her forehead as they both stared into the distance. “I want to stay here with you,” Stephanie said.
Lucy Nicholson / Reuters
Levell Jones, 7, looks out of the bus window as he leaves his mother.
A few children cried as they touched their mothers’ hands across a line of tape on the floor, marked with “Do Not Cross,” as they were ushered out of the room by a prison guard. Most shuffled out in stunned silence.
Back on the bus, the children hugged cuddly toy animals they had been given and stared trance-like out of the window at the receding prison fence. A couple of girls curled up in the fetal position under blankets on the seats and fell into a deep sleep. The bus carried them back to Los Angeles to resume serving their own time.
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I wonder what it cost the taxpayers of California for the extra gaurds and overtime for this stunt.
Ah the libtard capital of the universe is in the hole for 16 Billion. Kust like the libtard in charge of the US wants to bankrupt the USA.
It is Mothers Day and you should not mention Obamas name and disgrace anyone on this day.
more frightening....they did not add extra guards, just told everyone to behave because the media was there!! without doubt this was an incredibly dangerous undertaking by CA and could have gone bad in a nano second.
Carl..with the fake profile pic...at least I don't have one. You think PRESIDENT Obama doesn't have a mother?If I recall correctly, she's YOUR skin color!
By your comment, sounds if you just hate the man because of his...well do I even HAVE to say it? YOUR true colors are showing and it's not that of your profile picture.
Being in a prison ministry, I have observed first hand the comments from mothers who are regretting their life of crime as this means that they cannot see their children for long periods of time or not at all. Many are good mothers who made the wrong choices and now are faced with the fact that what they did directly affected their children after their sentencing. I am so impressed with California and how this state is reuniting these moms with their kids. Many moms in prisons thoughout the U.S. may not have time with their kids today or anytime during the year due to the distance and cost of travel. Some kids are placed with relatives or foster homes who refuse to let these kids see their moms. My heart goes out to these moms regardless of their crimes, and I hope that other moms will make better choices and consider their kids before they end up having to "do the time".
Hey Cathy who is going to come up with the 16 billion the state is in the hole?
And when the facts shake out decades from now we will find just how this reunification effort affected the children. Society won't feel so good about the truth.
the working taxpayer is the real victim here , we are the ignorant slaves who fund the entitlement programs that enable the vast majority of criminal behavior in the first place. If society made them responsible for their own basic needs like food and shelter they wouldnt have time or the energy to waste on drugs
So correct. How about day care for the child, a orange jump suit for the parents and a bag to pick up trash. Be far fewer people on welfare and more looking for a job.
Sad that so many people don't think before they act and their children have to suffer like this.
I was deeply moved by this story. This is the most moving Mother's Day story yet. Yes, these women did terrible things. I can see the love on each inmate and child face. So moving.
I completely support On The Bus, way to go. I am going to read more about this organization.
Thank you so much for the heart warming story of love.
Hey! Lets stop and think about all the Mothers who have children in the military, where is their bus! And what about all the mothers who are working today to support their OWN children while their taxes are helping feed these baby momma's. Sorry folks, my sympathy meter is at ZERO for these mothers!
DT, you rule!
That would be wrong. We can't think about those that choose the correct path. Only the wretched soles that need our helping hand.
I prefer to provide a helping boot but I am in the minority. So far anyway.
AMEN!!!!
Was I the only one that saw the true spirit of forgivenss in this story??? The children(victims) rode for possibly hours to get to a big scary place with razor fences,gaurds,guns and getting searched(which is a type of touching their taught not to let strangers do!) to see a mother who has made them a victim in societies eyes and possibly a bad statistic later in life. But what do we see,we see them running to that mother with arms open wide,tears of joy and a voice that cries "mom I love you and mom I miss you". I have been a "child victim" of a mothers negative choices and the pain never goes away but it did help me get to where I am today, strong and independent. I work in Corrections so that I can use my experiences to help others that are like my mom used to be. LETS FIND SOMETHING POSITIVE IN IT AND MOVE FORWARD WITH AN EFFORT FOR CHANGE!!!!.......PLEASE
If a meth addict ever breaks into your home in the middle of the night, please just repeat to them the words you typed in bold. That should do the trick.
And many of them will be scarred for life for the experience. Many of those will be angry and blame society rather than mommy and commit crimes themselves.
I have no idea where you work in corrections but if you've ever sat in the visitation room while young children crawled up on counters trying to get thru the glass to their parent, if you've ever heard the wailing and seen the way the children and adults act, you would have to believe as I do that children have no business in a JAIL!!! ESPECIALLY ON MY DIME!!! If CA wants to do something positive for these kids....give them an education that they can use and a chance to use it!!!!!
I agree NOBAMA 2012
NO VALUE...it will be collapsed shortly!
"Regular prison visits lower rates of recidivism for the parent, and make the child better emotionally adjusted and less likely to become delinquent, according to The Center for Restorative Justice Works, the non-profit organization that runs the Get on the Bus program."
Remeber that quote. Twenty years from now a study will disprove this BS when it is found that the children who visited their mother in prion on Mother's Day 2012 were 100% more likely to be in prison than those who did not.
I'm surprised that with all the talk about gay rights recently, the lefties on here aren't arguing that Mother's Day should be banned by the fereral government because it's a hate crime of exclusion against the gay community.
This article makes me sad...it should read "close to 100% of parents in state prison report being held over 100 miles from their children." Whaaaaa, I only have 60 cable channels in here and I can't see me kids whenever I want. This article is dumb and I stopped reading it after the first sentence.
I agree with you Lucy, if I had my way all able bodied prisoners would be converting large rocks into gravel via manual labor. Not sitting around playing cards and butt tickle in heated and air conditioned palaces. Joe Arrpio in Arizona has this figured out and now the Federal Govt. wants to sue him. What a bunch of BS.
I don't go along with the bleeding hearts here. I've worked with Judges in the lower courts, and most go far out of their way to turn these peoples lives around, often giving many chances. But, the Judges can't do it by their self, you have to do something for yourself. In almost every incident, that's where the problem started, with something small, then goes to bigger things. There is no such thing as a victimless crime, maybe not a direct victim, in some cases, but society always suffers as the victim. You don't go to prison for a petty crime, it's called a felony. The attitude of 'I got what I wanted' just don't cut it. Society has acceptable standards, perhaps some of these women upon release will realize that, and become productive law abiding citizens after their correction.
Those with a bleeding heart cannot be bothered with facts.
Near the sea:
Nor, it seems are you or the rest of these judgmental types capable of considering a quite complex dynamic in any but the most simplistic terms. I'm certainly not a bleeding heart; however, I spent 37 years in maximum security prisons for bank robberies, kidnapping, attempted murder, etc., etc., and can state unequivocably that I observed alot of guys who shared the viewpoint you guys so freely express, suddenly find themselves in an alien world because they drank and drove, punched a guy at a football game, or were falsely accused of domestic violence. Guess what? Wake-up call fellas! I got no problem whatsoever owning what I do and what they hit me with for it, but believe this: there are alot of people just like you who all of a sudden find themselves trying to understand how a good law-abiding guy like them has to deal with a world where it's even money on whether or not they can make till lunch time without some maniac raping them in the ass. How about just a smidge of empathy people? Not for violent predatory people who belong in prison, but for the poor slobs that God decides to practice his comedy act on? But for the grace of God.........
Loving your children should mean keeping from doing anything that separates you from them. Committing crimes is known for the potential to land you in jail.
Love your children? What did you think was going to happen? You idiots that think it is society's fault, America's fault... If you don't commit crimes, America and society will have a hard time putting you in prison. What you are doing to your children; forcing them to be separated from you and providing a seriously bad example to them is a crime in itself.
Crime or your kids. Choose.
tears in my eyes, be strong kids
I don't care and it doesn't matter what these women did, it is a great humanitarian thing to unite these children with their moms.
I totaly agree with you. Should be more of it. This would be a major step in rehab. I am sure many of these mothers hearts are torn out.
Concentration camps, in America.
For what they have done to their children, families and victims they should all be on chain gangs
Sing it with me, I fought the law and the law won...now I'm breaking rocks in the hot sun.
The pictures are sooo sad,,,moms seem to forget,,their children should be first in their life's,,and should think first befor doing something wrong,,Kids are the ones that suffer.
If you can't do the time, don't do the crime. McGruff the crime dog taught me that 30 years ago, a pity these woman were not listening.
California is the poster child for the phrase "Don't let this happen to you"
This article wants you to feel sorry for the Moms in this article. I feel sorry for the victims and children of these Moms
Sorry for the kids!
I am sure there are few of the women that recieved a little more punishment then they deserved, but I would be willing to bet that most are women have had previous run ins with breaking the law, and had prior warnings on what the results would be if they did not straighten up. You would think that if they were good mothers they should have put their kids first in life and avoided the crimes.
We critize the courts for not giving enough punishment to criminals, yet we also critize them if they give out to much.
Keeping the prisons full in America is part of a big industry controlled by the judges and the politicians. We have more people in jail in this country than any place in the world. We are doing this at a very high cost to our population.
Drum roll please....... and the mother of the year award goes to crack whore number 3. Should have used the bus to haul these inmates out to clean up trash or cut weeds along the road.
Please show me where any of these women were arrested for being a crack whore!
Oh leave him alone, he sounds as if he has mommy issues. ROFL!
Please see my comment 32. There would be alot more fitting stories to tell on Mothers Day. Keep in mind that there is a saying - Sometimes if you crap in your own bed you may have to lay in it. Or - you are accountable for you own actions. They chose to commit crimes over being a parent.
Let me check my sympathy meter again..wait..no still ZERO.
You better watch your tongue, DT. God has a way of dealing with people of your ilk.
Ya know what? These people are paying for their crimes. Would you be so unfeeling if this was a daughter of yours who had a child, your grandchild, separated from their mom and suffering so? If you saw them sobbing as the guards pulled them apart after visitation, would you make a dumbass remark like the one you made? You would not! Think about that for a second. In fact, I would bet money that you would punch someone in the face for such a remark!
My heart breaks for these innocent children. How awful it must be for them to have to be bussed to prison to see their moms for a couple of hour. I know their mothers must pay for their crimes, but they don't need to be made fun of and humiliated further.
So shut your stupid trap!
In the event that I were to allow my life to get so out of control, that society considered me a threat to myself or the general public and that i needed to be housed in a cage, the very last place I would want my children to see me was in prison, that has got to be child abuse, those children will forever bear the scars of viewing their parent behind bars...
Awww,.....isn't that sweet?