Mothers in jail would benefit from participation in parenting programs, which could help their children avoid negative outcomes down the road, say researchers at U-M’s School of Public Health Prevention Research Center.
The U-M team used an existing parenting intervention, the Strengthening Families Program, and adapted it for the jail setting. Working with a community-based agency in Flint called Motherly Intercession, agency Director Shirley Cochran and U-M’s Alison Miller piloted the Parenting While Incarcerated program in the Genesee County jail.
“Mothers were very enthusiastic about the opportunity to participate in the program. It was a chance to focus on their child in a positive way while they were incarcerated,” said Miller, an assistant research professor in the U-M School of Public Health’s Department of Health Behavior and Health Education.
