Imprisoned S.C. parents send love to their kids through recordings
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - Near or far, distance doesn’t define a mother’s love for their child.
Formerly known as “A Mother’s Voice,” Riley’s Readers program allows incarcerated parents to record storybooks for their children. They choose from a selection of stories and record themselves reading on each page.
“In my opinion, what this does is it creates a connection with the child and the mother or grandmother,” said South Carolina Department of Corrections Director Bryan Stirling.
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Ahead of Mother’s Day, several inmates at the Camille Graham Correctional Institute had the opportunity to feel close to their children and grandchildren, even from behind prison walls.
“It’s something they can send home and say, ‘I’m behind bars, but all the bars can’t stop my love for you. No matter where I am, I’m always going to love and you,’” Stirling said.
The South Carolina Department of Corrections offers up the opportunity across 21 of its institutions. To qualify, an inmate must be free of discipline for at least six months and must have a loved one 8 years old and younger.
As many of these inmates have few opportunities to see their loved ones, recording these story times gives their children a permanent piece of themselves until they can reunite once again.
“It makes me feel like I’ve done something as a grandmother, whereas in here it’s so hard. So, it gives us that connection and makes us feel closer,” said one of the participating inmates, Tammy.
Participants are encouraged to read the story, but still find ways to personalize it with meaningful messages.
“I always tell her to look at the moon. They look at the moon and I look at the moon and we know we’re under the same moon. It’s our special thing,” Tammy says.
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For some of these parents, the sound of each other’s voices is all they may know. One inmate, Brianna, gave birth to her child while behind bars and hasn’t been able to see him since. She says this program is a way for her to connect with her child as he grows up.
Camille Graham’s inmate Alicia says a mother’s voice is the most important thing for a child to recognize.
“It’s very crucial and critical to every child’s life because they need us more than anything. Even though we can’t be there, it’s giving us the chance to be there,” Alicia says.
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