BMC-WEST ROXBURY PROBATION'S MOTHERS PROGRAM
CELEBRATES A DECADE OF TEACHING PARENTING SKILLS TO OFFENDERS

Helen Brown, Assistant Chief Probation Officer at BMC-West Roxbury, leads Mothers Program. Brown is standing and in blue jacket.

Over the past decade, more than 150 court-involved mothers have improved their parenting skills and learned how to keep their families intact thanks to the Mothers Program of the Boston Municipal Court (BMC) –West Roxbury.

The 12-week, BMC-West Roxbury program marked its 10th anniversary this week at a graduation ceremony for the most recent class of graduates at the courthouse. This is the 19th BMC-West Roxbury Mothers Program graduating class. The 11 graduates hail from Norwood, Lynn, Cambridge, Charlestown, Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan, Hyde Park, and Roslindale. About a third of the class were referred to the program from other courts. The mothers are on probation for crimes that range from larceny to assault and battery. One mother was a member of a street gang. At least two of the 11 mothers are trying to regain custody of their children.

The BMC-West Roxbury Mothers Program, established by First Justice Kathleen E. Coffey and Assistant Chief Probation Officer Helen Brown in 1998, was the first parenting program for mothers to be established for women probationers in the state. BMC-West Roxbury Probation Officer Crystal Young has served as the program's co-facilitator for more than seven years.

"We are excited about the Mothers Program marking its 10th anniversary. This program, I am proud to say, has helped more than 150 court-involved women become better and more aware mothers. Many of them have stayed in the right direction, made better decisions and have learned to not let crime distract them from being good parents and role models for their children," said BMC-West Roxbury Assistant Chief Probation Officer Helen Brown.

There are now four parenting programs for mothers in Suffolk, Middlesex and Essex counties. The programs are run by the BMC-West Roxbury, Cambridge District, Essex Juvenile, and Lawrence District courts. The Essex Juvenile Court program, "Mother to Mother," is a few months old and is designed specifically for teenage girls. The program holds meetings in Lawrence, Haverhill, and Salem.

The participants of the BMC-West Roxbury Mothers Program meet at the courthouse and attend lectures and interactive sessions on issues that range from substance abuse to employment to parenting to nutrition education. Upon completion of the program, the mothers have the option to attend aftercare programs at area health facilities which help them in their recovery and with staying on the right side of the law.

Recent graduate Ebony, an 18-year-old mother of a four-month-old son, said the Mothers Program taught her "patience." A self-professed former gang member, the court ordered her to participate in the program after she ran afoul of the law when she and a group of teens "carjacked a lady."

"The program taught me to be patient with my kid when he starts crying," Ebony said. "I also learned a lot about the resources that are out there like if I have no place to stay, where to find a place to live."