Children and Mentors Partnership (CAMP) Program of Aid to Incarcerated Mothers (AIM)

Description

AIM is not-for-profit grassroots organization with a 25 year history of providing comprehensive services to mothers in and out of prsion. AIM's clients are racially and ethnically diverse: 48% African-America, 38% white, 12% Latino, and 2% others. They come to AIM from Boston south to the Cape and New Bedford, north to Newburypost and west to Springfield. In 2004, AIM increased its client base through the new intakes of 146 mother, with a total of 300 children. These intakes are done in the local communities, half-way houses, and the prisons--MC Framingham, South Middlesex Correctional Center and South Bay, etc. In 2004, AIM began Children and Mentors Partnership(CAMP), a mentoring program to children (aged 4 -14) of incarcerated parents. The purpose of CAMP is to minimize the negative impact of separation as a result of the incarceration of the mother; to strengthen the child resilience and to attend to the flourishing interests and dreams in a child' life. Since its inception in 1980, AIM has successfully operated family visitation to prisons; conducted legal training on child custody and visitation workshops, conducted legal training on domestic violence and sexual assault workshop, ran legal information clinic; and operated a Re-entry program to mothers while in prison. Upon release from prison, AIM services to clients include intensive case management, clinical and support services provided or supervised by a staff psychiatrist and psychologist, family therapy, legal advocacy on child custody, visitation and domestic violence/sexual assault issues and HIV?AIDs education and prevention.