Missouri prison nursery program aims to transform lives and reduce recidivism

VANDALIA, Mo. – Select residents who are expectant mothers at Women’s Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center (WERDCC) at Vandalia, Missouri, begin welcoming their newborns to a newly completed nursery as soon as February.

Thanks to bipartisan legislation passed in 2022 by the Missouri General Assembly and signed by former Missouri Gov. Mike Parson, a WERDCC housing unit wing was remodeled and furnished to include cribs, infant bathing rooms, designated areas for educational sessions, kitchen space for heating bottles and seven rooms for up to 14 mothers and their babies.

The correctional center nursery program, which officially opens this winter, awaits seven babies within the first several months. Infants remain at the nursery for up to 18 months while mothers provide full-time care for their little ones, participate in educational and therapeutic programming, assist in maintaining a safe and loving environment, and prepare to return to the community.

“This is going to be transformative for the women who come through this program,” said Kim Perkins, WERDCC nursery program manager. “I believe we are going to see huge changes in the lives of the women — and reduced recidivism rates — because they’ll be leaving with strong bonds with their babies.”

Incarcerated moms can take part in parenting classes and other educational programming.

Senate Bill 683 set a target date to open the nursery by July 2025. With the renovations and the procurement of supplies and equipment completed, and new department procedures and educational curriculums in place, the program is opening months ahead of schedule.

Missouri is now one of 10 states with a correctional center nursery program, a list that includes California, Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, South Dakota, Washington and West Virginia.

Nebraska, which launched its program in 1994, found that women who participated saw a 28% reduction in recidivism, a 39% reduction in returning to prison, and savings of more than $6 million over the first 10 years.

In addition to eight Missouri Department of Corrections staff members, including Perkins, on the unit, five resident caregivers have been trained to assist with the babies and mothers, and provide daycare services while moms complete continuing education courses.

The nursery also facilitates regular visits from outside pediatricians and services from federally-funded programs including Head Start and Parents as Teachers.

A supply closet holds donated baby clothes and supplies for infants born to incarcerated moms in the Prison Nursery Program.

Perkins, a Vandalia native with 25 years' experience in social-service work, joined the Missouri Department of Corrections and WERDCC in 2021 as an institutional parole officer.

As a mother of two who was widowed in 2016, she offers her perspective on navigating trauma and motherhood.

“I had to really think about my priorities in life," Perkins said. "And what was most important to me and to my family.

“That’s when I went back into behavioral health," she continued. "Because it just helps so much in my healing process. Helping other people through times of difficulty, whether it’s substance abuse or a loss or having grown up in a family that didn’t provide a solid base for them. Most of these moms experienced trauma at a young age.”

Join the Missouri Department of Corrections for an open house showcasing the nursery program and tour the freshly renovated wing designed to safely house program-eligible women who give birth while incarcerated, alongside their babies, for up to 18 months post-delivery.

The nursery program welcomes donations of items such as diapers, wipes, formula, diaper pail refills, diaper bags, lotion, baby shampoo, pacifiers, baby soap, diaper rash ointment, collapsible playpens, burp cloths, receiving blankets, bottles, and teethers.

Contact Nursery Program Manager Kim Perkins at 573-594-2498 or kimberley.perkins@doc.mo.gov.