title: Girl Scouts Beyond Bars: facilitating parent-child contact in correctional settings.
abstract: Distant prison locations, inconvenient visiting schedules, and the negative effects of a mother's imprisonment on her children often complicate the child welfare professional's work with the children of incarcerated mothers. Enhanced prison visiting programs offer a mechanism to support the mother-child relationship, facilitate reunification efforts, and assist with permanency planning. The article discusses one such program, Girl Scouts Beyond Bars, in relation to the problem of mother-child separation via imprisonment; traditional visiting practices; and the issues confronting child welfare professionals serving the children of imprisoned mothers.
authors.affiliation: Division of Criminology, Criminal Justice, and Social Policy, University of Baltimore, MD., USA.
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Block
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Potthast
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007899:Leisure Activities; D008396:Maryland; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011329:Prisoners / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015397:Program Evaluation; D002666:Psychology, Child; D012944:Social Support