Chicago Legal Advocacy for Incarcerated Mothers

CLAIM's programs are (1) legal aid on family law matters for imprisoned mothers and their children's caregivers (we serve fathers as appropriate, too), (2) client education to help imprisoned mothers make sound plans for their children, (3) three volunteer lawyer programs, and (4)advocacy by and for women prisoners/former prisoners to bring about policy that is more humane. The Advocacy Project's main component is Visible Voices, a group run by and for formerly imprisoned women which provides support, builds skills and provides opportunities for public advocacy. Visible Voices worked with Beyondmedia Education to create an award-winning video documentary, What We Leave Behind. We sponsor an annual Mother's Day rally to raise public awareness. In Illinois, 80% of women prisoners have children and 81% of women prisoners are sentenced for non-violent property crimes and drug offenses. They risk permanent loss of their children, and the children risk becoming "legal orphans" lost to the foster care system, without timely services and advocacy. We work collaboratively with groups including Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, Lutheran Social Services of Illinois, and the Illinois Task Force for Children of Prisoners, Children of Promise and its member organizations. We co-sponsored the successful "Children of Promise: A Catalyst Event" in March 2005, bringing together adult children of prisoners, formerly incarcerated parents, community organizations, foster care officials and corrections officials to discuss the impact of policy and to begin a path toward best practices.