Moms in prison learn ‘a different way’
Shelby County Correction inmate Sharda Jeffries, is one of several women taking part in a parenting class on Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)
Around 2.7 million American children have experienced parental incarceration at some point in their lives, according to the National Institute of Justice in 2017. In Tennessee, it’s estimated that at least one in 10 children have experienced it.
Children with parents in jail or prison are a “very silent” group, according to Shari Ostrow-Scher with Maryland-based nonprofit Children of Incarcerated Parents.
“Often in this country, the person that goes away is poor, so they have less of a voice in society. So, it just becomes this gigantic secret. And that doesn’t help anybody. That’s no good,” she said in an interview. “And that’s why I wanted these kids to be out of the shadows and the caregivers and even the person in jail. Because the bottom line is, we want these kids to have happy, healthy lives.”
Topics
Subscriber Only incarcerationThank you for reading The Daily Memphian. Your support is critical.
Did you know we are a 501(c)3 nonprofit news organization? We rely on a mix of revenue from subscriptions (50%), advertising, events and other earned income (25%) and fundraising (25%).
Please consider making a fully tax-deductible donation or other contribution to The Daily Memphian today.
👉🏽 Your subscription pays for you to read all our journalism.
👉🏽 Your donation powers the work we do to reach everyone else with the news.
We believe an informed Memphis is a better Memphis. If you agree, join our growing list of donors now.
Aarron Fleming
Once an intern, he never left, joining the staff full-time in 2022 as an education reporter. He moved to public safety in 2023, where he covered some of the city’s biggest court cases, including the criminal trials for those charged in the deaths of Tyré Nichols and rapper Young Dolph. He also chronicled the Shelby County Jail and the deaths that have occurred at the facility.
He now provides suburban coverage, focusing on DeSoto County and the surrounding municipalities.
Comments
Want to comment on our stories? If you’re a subscriber, scroll down to the comments. If you’re not a subscriber, only paid subscribers can add their thoughts, so subscribe now. Our commenting policy can be viewed here.