BY JACK STROUD
Photoland’s gallery, Galerie Fotoland, will feature photographer Cheryl Hanna-Truscott’s photo series “Protective Custody: Within a Prison Nursery” through Jan. 11, 2019. Galerie Fotoland is located on the first floor of the Daniel J. Evans Library, in the lobby.
The series consists of 16 photos of women in the Residential Parenting Program at the Washington Corrections Center for Women, a women’s prison located in Gig Harbor. In tandem with the photos are quotes from the mothers and soon-to-be mothers that Hanna-Truscott spoke with. The blurbs do not correspond directly to any of the accompanying photos, for the sake of anonymity.
The prison implemented the Residential Parenting Program in 1999, and it is one of just twelve prison nursery programs in the United States. To be eligible the women must be pregnant upon arrival and serving a non-violent sentence that is 30 months or fewer. Spots in the program are highly sought after by inmates.
Hanna-Truscott began spending time at the Gig Harbor prison in 2003, not long after the implementation of the parenting program. Prior to working on this photo documentary series, Hanna-Truscott was a nurse-midwife, and then a medical evaluator for children who were victims of abuse. A press release announcing the exhibit says that “These experiences helped her to comprehend these incredibly intimate moments and be able to showcase them so that all of those emotions come through into her photographs.”
The photo series is solid. The unbending strength and endurance of the mothers is reflected in the confidence of the photos. Many of the women at the prison have experienced abject hardships. They are often convicted on drug charges, an intergenerational cycle in many cases.
As one mother put it, “And the fact that I’ve come here [to the nursery program], I think it’s a blessing in disguise.”
In a study titled “Recidivism after Release from a Prison Nursery Program,” Lorie S. Goshin (et al.) found that women who participate in prison nursery programs show lower rates of recidivism. In an article in the Indiana Law Journal written by Anne E. Jbara concluded that, “Based on the emotional and cognitive benefits for both mothers and babies, the prison nursery program is a worthwhile addition to the prison system in the United States.” However, a study conducted by Julie Campbell (et al.) titled “Correctional Administrators’ Perceptions of Prison Nurseries” found that 50% of the correctional facilities they interviewed without prison nursery programs did not even know what a prison nursery program was.
Hanna-Truscott’s photo series brings these programs to the forefront. In an interview with the Cooper Point Journal, Hanna-Truscott said that, “The subject is compelling and offers ways to rethink broader options for criminal justice systems.” Her photos encapsulate the singular struggle as well as the community support within the nursery program.
Inmates have the opportunity to volunteer as a caregiver for other children in the program. As one mother told Hanna-Truscott, “Like we get to get close to babies. And in prison, we don’t get to love. We don’t get to hug. We don’t get to love. But with the babies, we have this infant that has no mean intentions towards you at all.”
Hanna-Truscott lauded the benefits of the prison nursery programs. “Residential Parenting Program at the Washington Corrections Center for Women has significant benefits for a selected population of incarcerated pregnant women and can serve as a model for other programs in our nation.”
The work done by Julie Campbell and Joseph R. Carlson illustrates that there is an information gap surrounding these beneficial programs. Hanna-Truscott’s exhibit is an opportunity to learn.
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