Curtis Trent – Missouri House of Representatives Newsroom

VIDEO/AUDIO: Missouri’s First Prison Nursery nears One Year Anniversary

Most people thought it was a joke upon hearing it for the first time, even the man who went on to champion it through the legislature. It was an idea brought before the Missouri House four years ago, to put a nursery in one of the state’s women’s prisons.

That idea was no joke, and that nursery is about to mark one year in operation. Visitors to the Women’s Eastern Reception, Diagnostic, and Correctional Center (WERDCC) in Vandalia say the nursery has changed the feel of the entire institution—and of everyone in it.

Video by Matthew Markivee, Missouri House Communications – Story continues below

“This is not just changing people’s lives. These are lives that wouldn’t have existed without this program. This is mothers that wouldn’t have been able to bond with their kids. These are kids who couldn’t have bonded with their mother and here they can do that,” Representative Bill Allen (R-Kansas City) said.

“Amazing.”

Kaley McDowell and her daughter, Kimber, enjoy the Day Room at the nursery at WERDCC in Vandalia. (Photo: Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications)

Allen, who has carried several bills dealing with corrections issues, recently visited the WERDCC nursery along with Representative Bennie Cook (R-Houston), the vice-chairman of the House Committee on Corrections and Public Institutions.

Cook said he went into the Correctional Center not knowing what to expect.

“I heard ‘prison nursery’ and I’m like, what do we expect out of this? So, getting here and seeing the young ladies with their babies and building that bond here in the prison, I never thought I would see that,” Cook said. “It sets them up for success, and I think this is an opportunity where they, if they take it, can be productive members of society and have their babies, have their children with them. It’s a great thing to see.”

Cook and Allen found themselves in a fully reimagined wing of WERDCC’s Housing Unit 1, now dubbed “1A Nursery Wing.” Cells that once held up to six incarcerated women apiece have been repurposed. Most now house one or two mothers and their babies. Another cell has been converted into a kitchen, and others store supplies for mothers and babies, both for their stay and for when they leave.

There is an impressive supply of baby clothes; shelves full of formula and hygiene products; car seats and blankets; and stacks of diapers. Almost all of it is provided through donations.

Program Director Kim Perkins introduces Representative Bill Allen to one of the babies in the nursery at WERDCC in Vandalia. (Photo: Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications)

The representatives found the women in the nursery—some mothers, some caregivers—to be candid and open about their lives. Several said the nursery is giving them something to work toward.

One of the caregivers, Brianna Johnson, perhaps said it best: “If you want to see criminals self-regulate, if you want to see women [who are] incarcerated do something different and break that [cycle of] recidivism, give them something to dream about. Give them something to dream for. Believe in them and show them hope, and they’ll show you how to break that recidivism cycle.”

That is what legislators four years ago heard the nursery would do: stem recidivism. They were told that forming bonds in the first few months after birth is just as important for mothers as it is for babies. Bill sponsors and experts testified that by allowing incarcerated mothers to remain with their babies, the likelihood of reoffending decreases dramatically.

Representative Bennie Cook meets with some of the mothers and babies in Missouri’s first prison nursery, at WERDCC in Vandalia. (Photo: Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications)

Tara Carroll, another of the caregivers in the nursery, spoke from experience about why programs like these can make a difference.

“To put it really bluntly: it’s a lot harder to leave the child that you know than it is to leave the child that you don’t know. It’s easy to separate yourself as a woman and as a mother from a child that you [don’t know].”

Carroll said it is also very easy for a woman facing prison time to convince herself that her child is better off without her, and to tell herself, “‘This child’s safe where they’re at. I would be disrupting the life that they know if I were to step in,’ and then the guilt and the shame of that turns into that vicious cycle all over again. I’ve lived it and I’ve done it.”

Carroll and Johnson have each experienced being pregnant and incarcerated before the nursery was an option.

Representatives Bill Allen (left) and Bennie Cook (right) called the nursery at WERDCC “Amazing,” and said they are anxious to see data on how well it performs. (Photo: Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications)

“It was terrifying, the thought of having a baby, giving birth in a random hospital with no family, chained to a bed, saying goodbye within 24 hours and coming back to this horrible place, horrible medical care, and never knowing where your baby went for sure, never seeing them off, never getting to be there for any parts after that.” Johnson said of what she went through in 2013.

“I was fortunate enough they put me in an 84-day treatment and I was able to go home before I delivered, but I can just tell you that there’s trauma in even just the idea of having to have a baby, prior to this program, in the Department of Corrections.”

Johnson and Carroll are grateful to be a part of a different reality for the moms who have been accepted into the nursery program, moms like Kathy Briggs.

“Kat,” as she is known around the nursery, was 28 and “on the run” from authorities when she found out she was pregnant. Having had two previous miscarriages, she turned herself in, believing custody would give her the best chance of bringing the pregnancy to term. She soon learned she was carrying twins and resigned herself to the belief that she would have to place them for adoption—until the judge in her case, Newtown County’s Kevin Selby, had other plans.

“He believed in me. He said, ‘Miss Briggs, I cannot control you. I’m not doing this because I don’t like you. I’m not doing this because I’m mad at you, I’m doing this because I believe in you,’ and he told me about the prison nursery.”

Found their Voices: Tara Carroll and Brianna Johnson share their experience as incarcerated mothers with their fellows in the nursery. (Photo courtesy: Matthew Markivee, Missouri House Communications)

Briggs’ initial reaction was disbelief, but that changed once she walked into 1A Nursery Wing.

“I was just ecstatic. It changed my whole life. I went from always wanting to be a mom; to not being somebody that was ever going to be able to be a mom, I thought; to this place helping me live out my dreams,” Briggs said. “I have two beautiful girls that are thriving, that are healthy, that are taken care of, that are happy. This program really showed me that I can be that mom, regardless of the life I’ve lived.

“It’s given me a lot of hope.”

Discussions of criminal justice often include talk of breaking cycles of abuse, poverty, drug use, neglect, and other factors that contribute to incarceration across multiple generations. Legislators in 2022 were told the nursery program could help break such cycles.

Asked about this, Briggs speaks up before the question is finished. She described a childhood surrounded by drug abuse. She witnessed and later experienced domestic and sexual violence. Briggs said that with what she has learned in the nursery, her daughters, Lyric and Melody, will never experience those things.

Kathy Briggs sits with her two daughters, Lyric (in her lap) and Melody, along with case manager Kim Immel. Since she was interviewed, Briggs has been released and she and her daughters are doing well so far. (Photo: Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications)

“I’m hoping I can teach them better, and I can teach them how to be safe and the consequences of how they act and what they do, and the importance of how we treat our bodies. That’s something I wasn’t taught, so I’m hoping to be able to teach it to them.”

Briggs is eager to tell her story, especially about how becoming a mother and her time in the nursery have changed her outlook. She points to a prominent tattoo on the side of her face that reads “D.N.R.,” short for Do Not Resuscitate.

“I just wanted to die for a long time,” Briggs explained, recalling what she experienced after one overdose. “I wanted all the pain to stop and I wanted peace and I knew after my OD that that was the peace I wanted.

“If I was to be found unconscious I didn’t want anyone to use the Narcan, I didn’t want to be resuscitated.”

Her eyes welling with tears, Briggs glanced at one of her daughters and said “DNR” is no longer the message she wants to portray, and she is looking for ways to pay for getting the tattoo removed.

“I never had made it to a year clean. I am now 16 months clean and it is the best feeling I’ve ever known, and I have two beautiful girls to show on top of it. I want to live and I want to live the best life I can for them.”

Before and after: “A” Wing of 1 House at WERDCC a little more than one year ago, before it was renovated; and now, after being transformed into Missouri’s first prison nursery. (Photos: Top – Missouri Department of Corrections and Bottom – Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications)

The nursery’s social workers say Briggs and many of the mothers are beginning to think, for the first time in years—or ever—about a future. Carroll said that after this experience she wants to become a doula, and she believes this incarceration—her seventh—will be her last.

“My mom was just laughing with me about this the other day. She said, ‘You know kid, I never thought I’d see you in the newspaper for anything good,’ and she said, ‘Your name comes up all the time associated with this nursery program.’ She said, ‘All I do is brag on you, all the time.’ That’s something I never thought I would hear from my mom, from my family, and this program has given that to me.”

The nursery program is not available to all pregnant incarcerated women. Mothers and caregivers must pass a screening that includes a review of disciplinary history, physical and mental health, and participation in other Department of Corrections programs. Women with a history of violent sexual offenses or crimes against children are ineligible.

The program teaches more than childcare. It covers life skills so that mothers returning to their communities can care for themselves, their children, and maintain a home. Several women said they had never been taught such skills.

Reps. Bill Allen (left) and Bennie Cook (right) visit with Program Director Kim Perkins the cell renovated into a kitchen, one of the places where mothers in the nursery can learn skills to care for themselves and their babies. (Photo: Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications)

Another thing many of them had not learned before, Johnson said, was pride.

“As a felon, as an addict, as a person in recovery, as a criminal, whatever; that lifestyle, you begin to build this idea of yourself as a failure. You start to see yourself as never being able to succeed. You’re never going to do anything good, you’re always going to be this same person, there’s no help out there for you. You come out [of prison and] you go back to the same things … but breaking the cycle, I think, starts with inspiring hope, and showing somebody and giving somebody something to hope for, or a reason to dream big, and this program does that,” Johnson said intensely.

The administrators’ enthusiasm is just as genuine.

“Our Ladies work so hard every day … this is not an easy program,” said Kim Perkins, the Nursery Program Manager. “It’s not easy having a baby inside an institution and it’s not easy for our caregivers. They give up a lot of their time. They could come in and just sit and ‘do prison’ but they don’t, and so I’m so proud of all the work that everybody has done.”

When asked about the nursery, Department of Corrections Director Trevor Foley’s eyes brighten and he smiles widely. He said the nursery represents the culture change the Department has been working toward.

“It’s remarkable that we can have those kinds of environments in a prison setting, and I think it’s going to be a great example of the way we can continue to work on our environments,” Foley said. “It is reflective of that culture change as people start to look at our business and our profession differently. I think it does put a real positive aspect to what we do.

“Babies make people happy, so having them around generally tends to help.”

Representatives Bennie Cook (in red) and Bill Allen (in grey suit) meet with Program Director Kimberly Perkins in the nursery at WERDCC in Vandalia.

Since opening in March 2025, 15 mothers with 16 babies have entered the program. Currently, the nursery houses five mothers and babies, along with one expectant mother. Of those who have completed the program, one mother has reoffended. The rest are back in their communities, building stable lives for themselves—and for their children—many for the first time.

“It’s a struggle. Our ladies come through, they have they have personal traumas that they’re dealing with, they have personal substance abuse issues that they’re dealing with, and so it’s a hard road,” Perkins said.

“We have women who were here for 84 days or 120 days, and some that were here for a year, so we’re going to see a lot more success with those year-long or more treatment women who have been with us for a longer period of time that we can help build that foundation of stability a little bit longer.”

“It’s already working,” Johnson said. She cited two mothers who she knows in particular, who have left the program “that have their children with them, that are thriving, that have jobs, that are caring for their children, they have stable homes. These children are not in state custody, they are not in state care, nobody else is taking care of them. It’s already working.”

In November, the man who carried the original legislation allowing the creation of the nursery was able to see it in person.

Danielly Izquierdo is gaining confidence and working toward a certification in Culinary Arts, with plans to work in the restaurant industry when she gets out in September, 2026. Her son August is a “very chatty and happy” 5 month old.

The idea was brought to Bruce DeGroot ahead of the 2022 session by Liza Weiss, founder of Missouri Appleseed. At first he thought she was joking, but over time he warmed to the idea.

“[Liza] and I politically aren’t probably on the same page, but we truly both want to just help people and this sounded like a great idea,” DeGroot said. “After I thought about it a little more, I thought it was something that would work and the Department of Corrections was just phenomenal to work with. They backed it from the beginning.”

DeGroot filed House Bill 1897 and championed the issue through the House where it received nearly unanimous support. He said the proposal proved to be an easy sell, both for its benefit to incarcerated mothers and their babies and for the economic benefit to taxpayers of reducing recidivism. The language of HB 1897 was eventually included in Senate Bill 683, which became law.

When DeGroot and Weiss visited the nursery in November, someone mentioned the role they played in its creation. The mothers and caregivers gathered to thank them. One of them was Kathy Briggs.

In 1A Nursery Wing, cells that used to hold up to 6 incarcerated women each have been modified to accommodate one or two mothers and their babies. (Photo: Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications)

“When that mother of two came up to me, and I was actually holding one of her babies, and she came up to me and had tears in her eyes, and now I’m starting to choke up a little bit too, and said, ‘Can I hug you? You’ve made such a difference in my life.’ It was just amazing the feeling that I got knowing I was able to play such small part in that bill,” DeGroot recalled.

“It’s probably the best thing I’ve ever done here in the General Assembly.”

As word spread about the nursery before it became reality, some staff and many incarcerated women in Vandalia were skeptical. Perkins said those attitudes have shifted. The program is now fully supported and has raised morale throughout the institution.

“It’s been so impactful just for the overall mood here. They say you can’t have a bad day if you’re looking at a baby, and I think that’s just really true,” Perkins said. “I think that the reality of what we’re doing has changed so many hearts and minds.”

Back inside 1A Nursery Wing, the moms and caregivers say they are grateful for the family they have found.

The nursery has boosted morale throughout WERDCC and staff are enthusiastic about working in it, including CO Jeffrey Patton, who mothers have nicknamed “Pawpaw Patton.” (Photo: Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications)

“We are sent to prison as a punishment, but we have really found such an opportunity amongst the punishment that we just couldn’t have got anywhere else,” Andrews said. “If we would have had these babies on the streets, even if we would have found a good rehab, we wouldn’t have had the community here with each other. We all help each other. It’s like these kids have nine moms.”

Those opportunities, that community, and those smiling little faces are what these women say have changed them.

“Can you imagine what it makes somebody like a five-time felon feel like, to know that there’s people looking up to me? Like I can do something different?” asked Johnson, who said she has started work toward a degree in communication. She, too, is looking toward her future.

“Like I said: if you want to change people’s lives, give them something to hope for.”

Those wishing to make a physical donation to the nursery such as diapers or blankets can contact Program Director Kim Perkins at Kimberley.Perkins@doc.mo.gov or call 573-594-6686 Ext: 2723. To donate a check or money order, mail it to:

Correctional Center Nursery Program
Missouri Department of Corrections
P.O. Box 236
Jefferson City, MO 65102

Pronouncers:

Bruce DeGroot = [de-GROTE]

Brianna Johnson = [bree-ANNE-uh]

Liza Weiss = [LIE-zuh WICE]

Stories from 2022:

Prison nurseries proposal heard in House committee

House gives initial approval to nurseries in Missouri prisons

Sponsors of prison nurseries proposal point to successes in other states

‘Prison nurseries’ proposal would let incarcerated mothers bond with newborns in prison

House gives initial approval to nurseries in Missouri prisons

Fueled by emotional testimony from several lawmakers, a proposal to let women in prison have their babies with them has received initial approval in the Missouri House.

*Representative Bruce DeGroot pauses to collect himself during emotional comments while presenting his HB 1897. (Photo: Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications)*

House Bill 1897 would let incarcerated women in Missouri live with their infants for up to 18 months if they meet certain criteria.

House members have heard that in other states such programs have been beneficial to mothers, children, and those states. Recidivism among participants has been minimal and children have benefitted from bonding with their mothers and being less likely to enter foster care. States, meanwhile, have saved money due to reduced recidivism and need for foster care, among other factors.

The bill is sponsored by Representative Bruce DeGroot (R-Ellisville).

“When we [legislators] first got up here, I think to a person we all wanted to come up here for the same reason. We all wanted to make Missouri a better place for our kids. This bill makes Missouri a better place for our kids,” said DeGroot.

He became tearful as he said the bill makes him think of his own mother and her reaction to this and other bills he’s worked on.

“She’s not proud I’m a state rep. You know what she’s proud of? She gets proud of debtor prison bills. She gets proud of bills that make it so women don’t have to pay for feminine hygiene products in prison. She gets proud when babies can be with their mom in prison.”

Several representatives thanked DeGroot and Representative Curtis Trent (R-Springfield), who filed the same bill, for bringing the proposal forward.

“Gentlemen, don’t sell yourself short. This bill is remarkable and it’s going to change not just the lives for people who have unfortunately experienced going to jail but the lives of those children who are going to get to experience their mother,” said Representative Raychel Proudie (D-Ferguson).

Trent marveled at the widespread support this proposal has garnered from within and outside the legislature.

“When all these kinds of people can come together, when all these different perspectives can be taken into account, when that process can yield something like this bill, which has the tremendous bipartisan support … which has the tremendous support of the communities that are most effected all around this state, has the support of families, to me that is when this body and when this general assembly is at its proudest, is at its finest,” said Trent. “These children that are being born that will benefit from this program are children who will be our friends and neighbors and family for the rest of their lives and we can’t measure the impact that this will have on them.”

“What an amazing bill this is,” said Representative Rasheen Aldridge (D-St. Louis). “This is more than just a feel good bill. This is one of these pieces of legislation that I know when I walk away I’m going to be happy to say, you know, Missouri did something really great. We did something historic. We did something that when other states look at criminal justice reform, when they look at legislation that is being passed, they’re going to look at Missouri and say we did something right.”

Aldridge encouraged other members to add their names to the list of the bill’s co-sponsors to send a strong message of support to the Senate if and when the measure is sent there. By Friday afternoon the list of co-sponsors had grown to 27 House members.

If HB 1897 becomes law it would be up to the Department of Corrections to administer the nursery program and determine which women could participate. Potential participants would be screened for mental health issues and could have no record of violent offenses or child abuse.

Another favorable vote would send the proposal to the Senate.

Prison nurseries proposal heard in House committee

A proposal to put a nursery in Missouri’s prisons has gone in front of a House committee.

*Representative Curtis Trent (Photo: Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications)*

Bills filed by Representatives Bruce DeGroot (R-Ellisville) and Curtis Trent (R-Springfield) would let incarcerated women who meet certain conditions live with infants for up to 18 months.

The House Judiciary Committee heard that the program has been used in numerous other states, in some cases for decades. In those cases it has led to better outcomes for mothers and children and reduced recidivism among mothers. These and other factors have also saved money for those states.

Trent said in New York, more than 74-percent of women who left prison with their infants were still living at home with those children after 3 years, “which I think shows pretty readily that they haven’t [gone back to prison] at that point. They have maintained those family ties, and you see an improved outcome with all that.”

“We do want to take care of kids who are in a very precarious situation. We do want to do everything that we can to seek justice in the correctional system, but also make sure that justice doesn’t work an injustice by breaking a family apart that doesn’t have to be,” said Trent.

He said under the proposal, potential participants in the program would first be screened.

“We make sure that the mother will be screened for any kind of mental health problems that might exist and that there is no record of violent conduct or child abuse conduct that has occurred in the past, because the goal is to have better outcomes for children in all cases.”

The committee heard from Maggie Burke, who was a warden at a prison with a nursery, in Illinois. She assured the committee that these programs do work, and that Missouri should adopt one.

“You walk into any [prison], I’ve been in dozens of state facilities, and there is always a facility culture, and what you’ll see in every facility that has babies, you’ll see the culture is just different,” said Burke. “When you have babies in a facility it kind of lowers everybody’s anxiety.”

Representatives of the Department of Corrections told the committee that in anticipation of this proposal, they traveled recently to Indiana and viewed a prison nursery program there. They said they came away with ideas that could be utilized in Missouri, and suggestions for tweaks to the legislation filed by DeGroot and Trent.

*Maggie Burke, who was the warden at a prison in Illinois which had a nursery, testifies to the Missouri Judiciary Committee about that program.*

Representative Mary Elizabeth Coleman (R-Arnold) thanked the Department for working on this and said she sees it as a continuation of previous legislative efforts.

“Briefly I wanted to thank you both very much for your openness to this program and for leading the charge on the anti-shackling [of pregnant women] legislation four years ago,” said Coleman. “Thank you so much for your willingness to look at this, and thank you for your other work that you’ve been doing on human dignity.”

Liberty Democrat Mark Ellebracht said, “This is more of a comprehensive approach to taking a pro-life philosophy to folks in Missouri. It’s pro-mother, it’s pro-infant, it’s pro keeping families together.”

Lawmakers heard that in other states, prison nurseries are supported largely by donations from private groups, and the same is considered likely to happen in Missouri. Burke said Illinois’ program was funded without any state dollars.

The bills propose that the nursery would be regulated by the Department of Corrections, though it could hand some responsibility to the Department of Health and Senior Services.

DeGroot wasn’t able to be at the hearing, which focused on his bill.

The committee has not voted on the legislation.

Sponsors of prison nurseries proposal point to successes in other states

Women entering Missouri prisons could have a chance to bond with their infant children while incarcerated, under a proposal that House members will be asked to consider in the session starting in a few days, but that concept is not new. Prison nursery programs have existed in other states for years, and in some cases for decades.

Ellisville Republican Bruce DeGroot is sponsoring one of the bills that would create a prison nursery program in Missouri, House Bill 1897. He said as a state representative he doesn’t always have the resources to provide extensive data that can help to make a case for one of his proposals, but with this bill there is ample data on what a difference it’s made in other states.

“Everything I’ve heard about this bill has been extremely positive, as it turned out in other states.”

DeGroot said while he remains passionate about tort reform, which he believes protects and supports employment opportunities, this is a bill that can have an immediate impact on individual Missourians.

“There are some bills that are just so directly related to people and their situations in life and this is one of those.”

Springfield Republican Curtis Trent will also propose prison nursery legislation. He says as the opening of the new session draws near he’s excited about pursuing this legislation.

“Of course the legislative process is there to vet these ideas and make sure there are no unintended consequences, but so far the response that I’ve gotten has been very positive, very encouraging, and the data that we have from other states and the input that we have from other people in this state so far has been overwhelmingly positive,” said Trent.

Illinois began its Moms and Babies program in 2007 at its Decatur Correctional Center. Non-violent offenders are allowed to keep their babies with them until the age of two. The Illinois Department of Public Health provides health education classes as well as lactation support and guidance. Up to eight mothers and babies are able to live in the facility in safety and with staff support and counseling, and prison staff are trained on the needs of pregnant women and mothers. Other incarcerated mothers are also able to help care for the children in the nursery.

As of 2017, more than 90 women had gone through the program. Only two had returned to prison within three years of release and only two were discharged from the program.

Maggie Burke was the warden at Decatur and managed the state’s women’s facilities until 2017. She said the program has been tremendous in her state and she thinks Missouri should absolutely begin its own.

“It’s a program that works. It’s a program that works for moms. Moms don’t come back to prison.”

“There is not a ton of research on prison nurseries, but what we do know is that it does reduce the recidivism for the women who go through the program. They are more bonded with their child and have more of a reason to stay on track when they get out.”

Debbie Denning, who was part of the exploratory team that created Illinois’ program and was Deputy Director for the department’s Women and Family Services Division, agrees with Burke.

“I absolutely would recommend that [Missouri] allow this program to happen, and I think that any concerns that legislators have can be addressed and really can help form the program,” said Denning. “It’s really important not only for the culture of the facility – it makes the administration happy, it makes the employees happy, but overall it’s the best thing for the baby and the mother, and the recidivism shows that.

Once the bond occurs the mother is much more motivated to be successful and the administration sees a shift in that facility, and facilities are extremely dark and hard to run and a lightness comes in that you just cannot believe.”

Burke said the programs in Illinois also take into account the unique needs of incarcerated women, who often are dealing with and need to recover from trauma.

“A lot of the women have experienced significant trauma throughout their lives which have led them down various paths of substance use, and so a lot of them have never been a parent without some sort of substance use … what we found was that women were able to raise a baby for the first time and bond with a child for the first time without that substance use,” said Burke.

“Part of our programming is parenting classes on learning how to be a better parent, but also part of our programming was kind of day care classes so that they would learn how you would take care of a child in day care. You would log when you changed a diaper, what kind of diaper it was that you changed, how much you fed them, how much they ate, what kind of food, what kind of drink, and how much naptime they took. You become better in tune with your child so when they come home they are better prepared to have more children if they do, just to be a better parent, a more attentive parent.”

Denning said in Illinois there were those who were skeptical about creating a nursery program, and she was proud to watch their attitudes change once it was in place.

“I had one sergeant … who was just awful about, ‘Why would we bring babies in prison,’ and ‘These women don’t deserve their children,’ and I put him on the committee. We had him, within six months on our committee, he was the first one that I had to say, ‘You can’t bring things in for the babies,’ because he was bringing in clothing and different things. It was just a complete turnaround.”

Denning continued, “I think that with anybody, when you see that nurturing environment and you see that these women bond with their children … when they started to begin to understand that our job wasn’t to punish, but really to rehabilitate and set this person up to be a parent, to feel that bond with their child, and then to go out and be able to be self-sufficient and not relying on the system. Once we were able to connect those dots, they were all over being positive about the program.”

Burke said the program benefits not only the women and children who participate, but the rest of the prison.

“The culture of the facility kind of changes. I don’t know if you’ve been into very many prisons but there’s just kind of a feeling when you go into the prison and most facilities don’t feel like a facility that has a bunch of babies in it.”

Among other states that have a prison nursery program is Nebraska, where, as of 2018, there had been a 28-percent reduction in recidivism within 3 years of a participant’s initial offense and a 39-percent reduction in participants returning to prison custody. From 1994 to 2012, Nebraska’s program saved that state more than $6-million.

Both Trent and DeGroot say they have talked to the Missouri Department of Corrections and the office of Governor Mike Parson (R) and received positive responses to this idea.

The 2022 legislative session begins January 5.

‘Prison nurseries’ proposal would let incarcerated mothers bond with newborns in prison

Women in Missouri prisons might not have to be separated from their newborns under a bill being considered for the legislative session that begins in January.

Representative Bruce DeGroot (Photo: Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications)

The plan would allow some women who are pregnant when they are about to be incarcerated for short sentences to have their babies with them in prison so that they can bond with their newborns. The idea is being referred to as the establishment of “prison nurseries.”

Missouri Appleseed is an organization helping drive the effort. Director Liza Weiss said some other states already have such programs, and some of those have been in place for years.

“These programs last for a variety of times from three months to three years,” said Weiss. She said women who have release dates falling within the given length of time and meet regulations set by the Department of Corrections, “would be able to participate in this program and live with their child, with their baby, in a separate area of the prison and care for the baby and bond with the baby, and then leave prison together with the baby, and be able to be a parent to the child.”

Representative Bruce DeGroot (R-Ellisville) will sponsor one version of the proposal. He thinks it’s simply good government.

“I think that once that bond forms, when these women get out they’re naturally going to want to take care of that baby and start doing the right things with their lives, and that’s why I’m so excited about this bill,” said DeGroot.

Representative Curtis Trent (R-Springfield) plans to sponsor similar legislation. He said the results seen in other states are encouraging.

“Women and children do better, both in terms of mental health, the bonding of the child to the mother. There’s also some indication that recidivism rates are lower in the long run, and of course there’s savings to the taxpayer as well. If you take the child from the mother and put it into the foster system that’s a very expensive process.”

“Research on the development of the child has been very positive as well,” said Weiss. “We realize this would be a change for the Department of Corrections, but we do think it would really be a win-win for the women and the babies.”

The Department told House Communications that right now when a woman in a Missouri state prison gives birth, that baby goes into foster care or with a family member.

Currently, pregnant women are housed at the prison in Vandalia. As of early October, 23 had delivered babies. In 2016, that number reached 73, but decreased to 49 in 2019 and 31 last year. The Department notes that in the last 4 years Missouri’s population of incarcerated women has dropped by 42 percent.

Representatives DeGroot and Trent are still developing draft language for their bills, and DeGroot said the Department of Corrections is involved. He expects to propose that the program be available to women whose sentences are for up to 18 months.

“The [woman has] to be a model prisoner. She has to either have a high school degree or equivalent, or [be] working on that while in prison. And, they have to remain a model prisoner, and they have to engage in pre- and post-natal classes so they learn how to take care of that baby.”

DeGroot said he also views this as a “pro-life bill.”

“I don’t know how many women who are scheduled to go to prison would actually consider aborting that baby before they got there, but I think this provides an incentive and peace of mind knowing that you’re going to be able to keep that baby and get that mother-baby bond while you’re still incarcerated … we’ve given some real hope, if this bill would get enacted,” said DeGroot.

Not only is it anticipated the idea would save the state money, Weiss said she thinks it could be entirely supported by outside donations and grants.

“Missouri Appleseed has already been approached by several charities and foundations who’ve said this is something they’d be very excited about to support,” said Weiss. “And part of the draft language from Representative DeGroot’s bill does create a fund in which grants from foundations and donations can be accepted by the state, too, to fund and sustain the nursery.”

Legislators can begin pre-filing legislation on December 1, for the session that begins in January.

Pronunciations:

DeGroot does not include the “oo” sound = [de-GROTE)

Weiss rhymes with mice = [wice]

Legislature proposes reforms to end ‘debtor’s prisons,’ mandatory minimum sentences

The Legislature has approved bipartisan legislation that would keep Missourians from being put back in jail for failing to pay the costs of being put in jail; and would eliminate mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent crimes.

House Bill 192 aims to end charging prisoners board bills” for their stays in jail. Persons who don’t pay those bills can be required to come to a “show-cause” hearing and risk additional jail time. Lawmakers said this amounted to putting people in a “debtor’s prison.”

The bill would allow counties to seek to collect jail bills through civil means, with no threat of jail time. The House’s 138-11 vote on Monday sends that bill to Governor Mike Parson (R).

Bill sponsor Bruce DeGroot (R-Chesterfield) worked closely with Liberty Democrat Mark Ellebracht on the legislation. DeGroot said current law is putting Missourians who’ve committed minor crimes and who can’t afford to pay fines and boarding costs back in jail, where they only incur more boarding costs.

“The people who don’t pay their fines and court costs who got put in jail because they couldn’t afford to bond themselves out, and now all of a sudden they owe $1300 for their week in jail and fines and court costs, and then they come before the judge and the judge says, ‘You owe $1300,’ and they say, ‘I don’t have it,’ and he says, ‘Fine, come on back next month and have at least $100,’ so they come on back the next month and they don’t have it and the judge puts them in jail, or they don’t show because they can’t get a babysitter or they can’t get off work, or they do get off work and they get fired,” said DeGroot.

DeGroot said in one case, a woman who stole an $8 tube of mascara incurred more than $10,000 in “board bills.”

Representative Mark Ellebracht (photo; Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications)

Ellebracht said the legislation is proof that opposing parties who often vehemently disagree can come together to do good things.

“We worked well together on this issue because we worked as colleagues and we respected each other’s opinion, and we made what I regard as a very, very good bill, and we are correcting a problem that a lot of people face in the State of Missouri,” said Ellebracht.

The Senate added to HB 192 legislation to allow judges to waive mandatory minimum sentencing requirements for non-violent offenders who meet certain criteria. That was the goal of House Bill 113, which the House passed in February, 140-17.

It was sponsored by Carthage Republican Cody Smith.

“It’s been shown in other red states like Texas and Oklahoma that if we change the way we treat folks – non-violent offenders – we can lead to better outcomes by keeping them out of prison, to the extent that that’s possible. It leads to better outcomes in their lives, their families’ lives. It leads to savings by not having people incarcerated in state prisons,” said Smith.

Springfield Republican Curtis Trent said both provisions speak to priorities that Governor Parson and Chief Justice Zel Fischer both spoke about when addressing the House and the Senate earlier this year.

“It’s a question of who we want in our prisons. Do we want people in our prisons who are mainly a threat to themselves – they have poor judgement – or do we want people in there who are truly a threat to society, who are predators, who are going to victimize other people, not just for minor, monetary amounts, but in ways that are truly life-altering, and I think those are the people who we want to prioritize,” said Trent.

It’s now up to Governor Parson whether HB 192 becomes law. If it does, it would take effect August 28.

5 years after Hailey Owens was murdered, Representative hopes to pass bill in her name

February 18 will mark the five-year anniversary of a tragedy that shook Springfield, the State of Missouri, and the nation. State lawmakers are hoping this will be the year the legislature passes a bill meant to honor the little girl killed that day in 2014.

“Hailey’s Law” is named for 10 year old Hailey Owens.

House Bill 185 is commonly known as “Hailey’s Law,” named for Hailey Owens. Owens was 10 years old when she was kidnapped while walking home from a friend’s house. She was murdered and her body was found early the next morning.

“It was incredibly traumatizing,” said State Representative Curtis Trent (R-Springfield), the House sponsor of Hailey’s Law. “As I remember the event everybody was talking about it. Wherever you went people were commenting on it. A lot of people, especially people with young families, were concerned that this sort of thing could happen. I think there was a lot of concern and outrage over the length of time it took to issue the Amber Alert. People were questioning the efficiency of that system, and so there was just a lot of uncertainty, a lot of confusion, and a lot of anger that such a thing had happened despite all the safeguards that had been attempted to be put in place to prevent it.”

Soon after the arrest of her killer, state officials and lawmakers turned their attention to the Amber Alert System. Though witnesses saw Owens being abducted, more than two hours passed before an Amber Alert was issued to let authorities and the public statewide know to look for her, and what her kidnapper and his vehicle looked like.

Legislators then and now said that faster issuance of an Amber Alert is unlikely to have changed the outcome in Owens’ case – she is believed to have been killed too soon after her abduction – but Trent said the case highlighted a need to expedite the issuance of Alerts.

“What we are saying is that we have these safeguards in place, we have these systems in place to try to save lives. They should operate as effectively as possible,” said Trent.

HB 185 would require the Amber Alert System to be tied into the Missouri Uniform Law Enforcement System (MULES), the computer system that allows all law enforcement in Missouri to communicate. That means once an officer enters information about a missing child into MULES, it would at the same time be available to the Amber Alert system.

Law enforcement in Missouri has already instituted this change. Trent said the purpose of passing Hailey’s Law now is twofold: to make sure those changes remain in effect by requiring them in law, and to honor Owens by naming that law after her.

“We want to prevent any future tragedy like this from occurring, and also we call the bill ‘Hailey’s Law’ because want to create a legacy and memorial for the girl that lost her life,” said Trent.

Representative Curtis Trent (left) and Jim Wood of Springfield testify to a House Committee about Hailey’s Law. (photo; Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications)

Jim Wood is the father of the man sentenced to death for killing Hailey Owens. He told the House Committee on Crime Prevention and Public Safety that it was his truck his son was driving on the day of the crime, but law enforcement didn’t contact him until about five hours after the abduction. At the time of the abduction he was at a restaurant about 2-minutes away from his son’s house, which is where Owens was murdered.

“I feel if I could’ve been informed, possibly I could have interceded. It was walking distance to his house where I was, so expediting this situation is obvious to me,” said Wood.

HB 185 would also require the state’s Amber Alert System Oversight Committee to meet at least once a year to discuss ways to improve the system. Currently there is no requirement for that committee to meet.

Trent said having that committee meet regularly to evaluate the system means there will be an ongoing effort toward getting alerts out more quickly.

“The speed is really what matters in these cases. The faster the Amber Alert can be issued, the faster we can find the child, the lower the chance of having a tragic outcome,” said Trent.

The House and the Senate have in previous years passed the language of HB 185, just not in the same bill, so it’s never become law.

The language of HB 185 was first offered by then-representative Eric Burlison of Springfield, who this year became a state senator. Burlison is now carrying his bill in the Senate. Before Burlison was elected to the Senate the language was carried in that chamber by Senator Caleb Rowden (R-Columbia), who is now the Senate’s majority floor leader. Trent believes having the support of those two lawmakers only increases the chance that Hailey’s Law will at last reach the governor.

The Committee on Crime Prevention and Public Safety will vote soon on HB 185.

Bill named for Hailey Owens aims to accelerate and improve Amber Alerts

Changes meant to get Amber Alerts out more quickly and ensure they are as effective as they can be would become law under a bill in the House.

Representative Curtis Trent (right) listens as Jim Wood testifies in favor of HB 697, Hailey's Law. Wood said it is his son, Craig, who abducted and murdered 10-year-old Hailey Owens, for whom the legislation is named. (photo; Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications) — Representative Curtis Trent (right) listens as Jim Wood testifies in favor of HB 697, Hailey’s Law. Wood said it is his son, Craig, who abducted and murdered 10-year-old Hailey Owens, for whom the legislation is named. (photo; Tim Bommel, Missouri House Communications)

House Bill 697 would establish Hailey’s Law, named for 10-year-old Hailey Owens of Springfield, who was kidnapped and murdered in February, 2014.

About two-and-a-half hours passed after Owens’ abduction before an Amber Alert was issued in the case. Though it is now known that an earlier alert would not have saved her, the case prompted lawmakers and others to press for changes to make sure alerts would be issued faster.

The legislation known as “Hailey’s Law” has been offered before in the House but did not become law. Even so, the Highway Patrol has launched implementation of some of the system changes it would require, so that alerts would go out earlier and with fewer steps needed to issue them.

This year the bill is being carried by Representative Curtis Trent (R-Springfield), who said it’s still important to make sure those changes are required by law.

“I think everyone’s on the same page here, but we’re just trying to make sure that it’s in statute, it’s going to happen in a timely basis, and if systems change in the future that the continued integration will always be a part of that,” Trent said.

Jim Wood, the father of the man charged with abducting and killing Hailey Owens, urged members of the House Committee on Crime Prevention and Public Safety to advance HB 697.

“I reached out to [Hailey’s family] with a deep sense of grief for my own family, and a deep sense of compassion for Hailey Owens and her family,” said Wood. “It was two-and-a-half hours later before the Amber Alert was released,” Wood recalled of the events the day his son, he said, took Owens. “We all know if we look at child abductions that children are usually dead within 45-minutes. We need to fix this problem, and Hailey’s Law will enhance the Amber Alert system that will protect these children.”

HB 697 would also require that the Amber Alert System Oversight Committee meet annually to discuss potential improvements to the Amber Alert System.