Kids to receive recordings of moms in prison reading to them for Christmas, SC officials say
A select group of inmates at a South Carolina prison is getting a special Christmas gift — an opportunity to give something to their children.
Even though these mothers are currently behind bars, they will get the chance to give their kids a unique gift, according to a news release from the South Carolina Department of Corrections.
A group of “inmate mothers” incarcerated at Graham Correctional Institution in Columbia have been chosen to participate in the Mother’s Voice program, the news release said.
That is where the inmates voices are captured on a recordable book, with mothers reading a specific story to their children, SCDOC reported in the news release. The program began at S.C. prisons in 2016, The State previously reported.
“The books are read to the child by a recording of the parent’s voice as the pages are turned,” SCDOC’s news release said.
SCDOC reported the books inmates could choose to read included “My Wish for You,” “God Loves You, And I Do Too!” and “Goodnight, My Little Sleepyhead.”
In addition to reading the book, the inmates were allowed to “add a more personal touch” by including a message telling their children “to brush their teeth, clean their room, say their night prayers,” or more, SCDOC said in the news release.
“It is easy to forget that when a parent is sentenced their children are forced to pay for that crime as well through no fault of their own,” SCDOC Director Bryan Stirling said in the news release.
The inmates selected to participate in the program had to meet “certain criteria,” which included good behavior during their prison sentence, according to the news release.
In the past, once the books had been recorded, they were mailed to the children, SCDOC said in the release. This year, inmates participating in the program will be allowed to give their kids the gift-wrapped book in person, according to SCDOC.
“It is vitally important to help maintain a connection between that offender and their family, so that children back at home know that their parents still care for them,” Stirling said in the news release.
In the first two years of the program 86 inmate mothers have participated, Manning Live reported.
The gift exchange will take place Monday, and “a very friendly, jolly, red suited, bearded man is expected to make a very special appearance,” according to SCDOC’s news release.
This story was originally published December 16, 2018 at 6:31 PM with the headline "Kids to receive recordings of moms in prison reading to them for Christmas, SC officials say."
