Spending 14 years as an Iowa state representative gave United Methodist Women member Betty Jean Clark insight into the issue and value of restorative justice.

"Money needs to be spent not in building prisons, but in starting programs that will help restore the people who come out of prison," said Ms. Clark, who serve on Iowa’s Judiciary and Human Resources Committees, which oversee programs for adult and juvenile offenders, respectively.

Upon retirement in 1990, Ms. Clark began organizing conferences on restorative justice, and founded Restorative Justice Advocacy, Inc. with a mission to establish a task force in each Iowa county to educate the community and integrate formerly incarcerated people. Restorative Justice Advocacy, Inc. networks 21 groups that are involved in hands-on restorative-justice work. Its steering committee has representation from ecumenical and legislative bodies. "It is exciting to see that restorative justice is being taught in schools and children are learning how to settle disputes without fighting," Ms. Clark said. "I hope kids will learn how to deal with conflict and there will be less crime eventually."

Kansas women reach out

Ms. Clark is just one of many United Methodist Women members throughout the United States who are working on restorative justice. For example, United Methodist Women in Kansas East and Kansas West Conferences work together through Ministry to Incarcerated Families, a direct service program started in 1987 when Barbara Scott, a member of United Methodist Women, shared her concern that incarcerated mothers need to keep in contact with their children. Ms. Scott volunteers full time to lead the ministry, which offers parenting classes to incarcerated women. Those who complete the course maintain contact with their children and remain out of trouble are invited to a two-day camp with their children.

The ministry maintains a visiting area within the prison with private cubicles where mothers can interact with their children. The mothers are encouraged to make birthday treats and take photos of their children. Craft classes are offered where the women crochet afghans and baby blankets and make teddy bears, which are given to helping agencies.

"It is way for the women to give back to society as a way of repaying for their crimes and saying they want to help," Ms. Scott said.

One of Ms. Scott’s goals was to start a United Methodist Women unit inside the prison. With the support of the Women’s Division and staff at Topeka Correctional Facility in Topeka, Kan., that goal became a reality July 31, 2001.

In starting the unit, Women’s Division Director Hazel Steely of Kansas East Conference gathered information about United Methodist Women and women from the two Kansas conferences made bookmarks and invitation letters for each incarcerated woman telling her about United Methodist Women.

Members of the unit have crocheted crosses for missionaries and made 400 badges for inmates to wear in response to the Sept. 11^th attacks.

The unit has incorporated mentoring to women as they leave prison. Upon release, each woman is given a note from United Methodist Women and a postcard she can mail to Ms. Scott with information about where she will live. Ms. Scott then contacts local United Methodist Women units in those areas request mentoring for the women.

When a nursery at the Topeka Correctional Facility is completed this spring, the ministry will furnish it and appoint staff with help of a grant from the Women’s Division. Ms. Scott is coordinating contact with the facility.

Ms. Scott said her involvement in restorative-justice ministry has changed her.

"It is a responsibility and privilege to serve as a lifeline to incarcerated women," she said. "No act goes unnoticed. Walking the walk means much more to these women than anything you will ever say."

Arkansas program

Freddie Nixon, United Methodist Women member from Little Rock, Ark., who is involved in restorative-justice ministry there agreed with Ms. Scott that restorative justice means offering unconditional love to the incarcerated and having faith that God will provide what’s needed.

Ms. Nixon’s work has led her to discover that among the incarcerated women are those who have suffered abuse and those whose crimes were drug related or motivated by economic need.

"In many ways, the women prisoners are just like you and me," Ms. Nixon said. "They love their children. They are studying to improve their minds and learn new skills. They are participating in Bible study."

Ms. Nixon was a leader in forming Ministries to Incarcerated Women and Their Children (MIWATCH) in 1990 after she attended the Women’s Division Training Event on Ministries to Incarcerated Women and Their Children. The event encouraged conference United Methodist Women to start ministries with incarcerated women. United Methodist Women in North Arkansas Conference began meeting with prison wardens and inmates to identify needs.

Transportation for children to visit their mothers in prison emerged as a need so United Methodist Women and the Women’s Project of Little Rock recruited volunteers to transport children and their caregivers to the prison.

In 1993, Little Rock Conference United Methodist Women became a co-sponsor of the program. The ministry supplies hygiene items to the women and Christmas gifts to their children.

Since 1978, Ms. Nixon has been involved in advocacy work by serving on the Arkansas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty.

Work in North Carolina

United Methodist Women of North Carolina and Western North Carolina Conferences are also working to provide programming to incarcerated mothers and their children that helps maintain and strengthen family relationships during the forced separation. The conferences’ Prison MATCH -- Mothers and Their Children -- program, which began 10 years ago, is offered at the North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women in Raleigh, N.C.

Mothers who enroll must complete an eight-week series of parenting classes. Then they are allowed special visits from their children. Trained volunteers bring the children to the prison.

"The act of bringing a child to visit her or his mother is much more than transportation," said North Carolina Conference United Methodist Women President Emily Innes.

The MATCH Visitation Center has brightly painted walls and toys and books. There is a nursery and small kitchen where mothers can make cookies and snacks for their children.

MATCH has evolved into an interfaith organization governed by a board of directors.

"United Methodist Women continues to play an extremely vital role," Ms. Innes said.

Ms. Innes is concerned not just for the mothers but also for their children who have been "sentenced" to lives without their mothers for no crime of theirs.

"Restorative-justice ministry allows for the growth of the mother and lessens a child’s sense of abandonment," she said, adding she hopes this will break the cycle and prevent the children from following their mothers’ paths to prison.

Praveena Balasundaram is a free-lance writer and editor living in Narberth, Pa. She is pursuing a master’s degree in English and publishing at Rosemont College in Rosemont, Pa. She is former senior editor of the Indian Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge in Delhi, India.