AID TO CHILDREN OF IMPRISONED MOTHERS, INC. (GA)

Program Description
Aid to Children of Imprisoned Mothers (AIM), created in 1987 by Sandra Barnhill, is a nonprofit community-based organization. AIM's activities and programs have an intergenerational approach. In other words, AIM's programs and services are targeted at children, incarcerated mothers, and the caregivers or other family members. AIM assists in the following ways:

• Children: AIM offers an after-school program for children ages six to 12, a teen leadership program for middle school students, and a week-long summer camp in June. Programs strive to increase the chances that children of incarcerated mothers, who are five times more likely to go to prison than their peers, will not end up behind bars. Key components of AIM's work with children are academic, personal and career development, and cultural and recreational enrichment. AIM focuses on these components in the programs to make a long- term impact on the children who have a mother or other family member in prison.

   

  •  Mothers: AIM provides transportation to all AIM programs and to one of the two women's prisons in Georgia every month to allow the women and children to maintain contact throughout the term of incarceration. AIM has produced and supplied two self-help manuals with information to assist mothers in prison with parental rights and responsibilities. AIM also facilities informational workshops in prisons to prepare the women for reentry in the community. The workshops cover how to create and manage a budget post-release, any legal information that the women will need to know to reunite with their children, and information and referrals on employment and housing. A counselor helps the women with the emotional aspects of preparing for transition from prison to being in a community-for example, how journal writing can act as an outlet.

   

  •  Caregivers: AIM also works with family members and the caregivers of the children. AIM's Guardian Angels support group provides interval care, resources, support, and information.

  
  

Primary Goals
AIM's mission is "to inspire hope in children of imprisoned mothers and their families by providing programs and services that lessen the impact of the mother's incarceration."

Networking, Partnering & Collaboration
The program collaborates with community partners that provide referrals for families and for recently released women; Georgia State University and Emory University provide volunteers.

Outcomes
In the 1999-2000 program year, the Southern Research Institute, Inc., evaluated AIM's programs for children. The June 2001 program evaluation highlighted the following:

•  72 percent of the children reported regular contact with their mothers because of AIM.

•  Children's self-esteem increased.

•  School bonding had increased.

•  Risk of violence decreased.

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