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Posted February 8th, 2008 by minortopics | Permalink

Mom to raise baby in prison

We’re, um, not even sure what to say except is a prison really the right environment to raise a kid? Seems like that baby is off to a bad start, but at least she’ll know at an early age how to shank somebody.

[Lisa Whitford] delivered a healthy baby girl last March and has successfully raised the infant in a provincial remand centre. And now - with the help of a University of B.C. law professor and two caring lawyers - she will become the first woman in B.C. to keep her baby in a federal prison.

Whitford, who will serve a four-year sentence for manslaughter at Fraser Valley Institution, will be the first inmate accepted into a little-used federal program that will allow her to raise 11-month-old Jordyn in a condominium on prison grounds.

“It’s just been an incredible struggle to keep that child with her and give this woman one last chance at her life,” her lawyer, Bruce Kaun, said Thursday.

“She’s doing really well… She’s very clean right now, and very articulate and very focused on raising the child.”

Whitford, who was sentenced on Wednesday, will be moved soon to Fraser Valley Institution, where she and Jordyn will live in a private unit with its own kitchen and a park nearby, but will still be surrounded by fences and monitored by guards.

Wow, they do things a bit differently in Canada, eh?


Information from: http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/...



Comments

2 Responses
  1. Momma Day
    Feb 27th, 2008
    [1] | Flag |

    Differently in Canada? Where are you from? Mars? Incarcerated women throughout the USA and a handful in Eastern Canada, have had the “privilege” of keeping their newly born children, and custody of older children for at least 5 years now. In fact the recommedations for this type of program are at least 17 years old.

    In addition, your uneducated comment about what they will “learn” exposes your further lack of education behind the purpose of this program. One thing these children do learn in these environments is the power of a mother’s love. Women who successfully adhere to this program (and most of them do) have much lower rates of reincarceration and very high rates of success.

    Next time you decide to have such an offensive opinion, please, do all of us a favour and complete just a bit of research before you make such uneducated comments.

    The question that should come to mind for all of us is… is prison a place for any woman or any one for that matter?

  2. VSpain
    Mar 1st, 2008
    [2] | Flag |

    Um, yeah prison is a place for ppl who commit crimes. Don’t get me wrong, i realise there are plenty of ppl who probly shouldn’t be in prison bc they are innocent, or have extenuating circumstances, etc, but still and all, the institution exists for a reason. Now, I think it is great idea to help women rehab by encouraging them to bond with and riase thier babies, it still occurs to me that anyone, male or female that commits a crime or series of them and lands in all out prison, may not be the best roll model, or capable caregiver… I am guessing this is why most of us do not about this program, it obviously has not had wide spread success, or it would be common knowledge and most likely encouraged in this day and age of rampant crime. Just a guess, but it may just be an offensive opinion. Of course I still believe in the death penalty, so I am probly backwards too.

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