How do you build a strong parent-child relationship from jail?
The Girl Scouts Heart of Michigan (GSHOM) has a program to do that. It’s called Beyond Bars. It’s a Girl Scout troop for daughters, ages 5-18, with mothers in the Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility (WHV) in Ypsilanti.
Ten girls are participating in the new troop. They come together from around the state for monthly troop meetings at the prison to work on badges and other activities with their moms.
“This is a place where they can feel, I would say a normality again. You know, seeing their mom and working with them and they're building a bond with learning new things together,” said Brook Griffin, the program facilitator.
Griffin works out of the GSHOM regional center in Ann Arbor. She said that in many ways, the troop is a lot like every other Girl Scout troop.
“The girls are able to do Girl Scouts activities, go to Girl Scout events, but this is just something that we put in place so that young ladies can have this extra opportunity to work and build this bond with the mother.”
Griffin said the troop meets at the correctional facility once a month outside of regular visiting hours. Beyond Bars, she said, is considered a privilege for inmates who demonstrate a record of good behavior.
Brenna West handles communications for GSHOM, which covers 34 counties with five regional centers. West is based out of the Kalamazoo Regional Center.
West said the Beyond Bars program is free. Participation is covered by donations to GSHOM. That means there are no registration fees or troop dues. Uniforms and badges are free.
When considering the ideal size for the Beyond Bars troop, West said, “If we are dreaming big, I would love to see that every girl who is impacted, you know, that her mother is incarcerated, that she would have this opportunity.”
Families of inmates at the Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility interested in the Beyond Bars program can contact prison’s Department of Special Activities or call GSHOM at 800-497-2688 for more information.
The Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility is the only all-female prison in Michigan, and is the only place currently offering the Beyond Bars program.
