Aid to Inmate Mothers

Aid to Inmate Mothers (AIM) was founded in 1987 as a visitation program that transports children from all over the state to the prison for a three-hour visit with their mothers. Our founders, Church Women United, The Alabama Prison Project, The Department of Corrections, and a group of committed volunteers realized that many women never saw their children during their incarceration--primarily due to transportation.

Decades later we still offer this program along with many more that place emphasison enhancing personal growth and strengthening the bonds between inmate mothers and their children or families.

AIM remains dedicated to reuniting mothers and children separated by prison. Over the years, we have also incorporated programs for all incarcerated women. We strive to enrich the lives of incarcerated mothers and their families through programs that provide education and support.

We provide the following programs to incarcerated women and their families:

• Monthly visitation program: Held the 2nd Saturday of every month at Tutwiler, Montgomery Women's Facility, and Birmingham Work Release. We assist with coordinating transportation and providing games and activities along with lunch. We also take and print photos for each child and mom to have at the end of the visit.

Volunteers: serve lunch, play games, take photos, fellowship with families, and most of all, have a great time!

• Storybook program: We take crates of children's books out to the prison. Moms pick out a book to read on camera. We then make DVDs and mail them with the book to the child. This is done monthly at one of the four prisons that house women. The days and times vary based on prison availability.

Volunteers: Assist moms with picking out books, operating video cameras, creating DVDs, and preparing packages to be mailed

• Reentry/Project Reconnect: We offer various life skill classes inside the prison, such as anger management, self-esteem, financial wellness, parenting, women's health education, HIV education and prevention, and more. We also have a Literacy group for women who are low readers.

Volunteers: Can facilitate classes. (We hope to restart our art class if we can find a facilitator.)

• Aftercare: We have a ten-bed transitional home where women leaving prison can stay up to one year while they work on the many unique barriers women face when leaving prison. Case managers are onsite to help residents and justice-involved women in the community create short and long-term goals, obtain the required documentation for duplicate state identification cards, search for employment, and much more.
  • Pack-a-Purse: The program provides women leaving prison with a month's supply of hygiene. Most women leave prison with $10, a bus pass, and what belongings they have in a brown paper bag. This program provides those leaving prison with full-size hygiene products such as shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, etc, so that is one less thing to worry about. Items are packed in gently used or new purses/handbags, backpacks, or tote bags.

Volunteers: Fellowship with residents, provide transportation, and occasionally help with projects around the house such as deep cleaning, painting, or gardening. The host drives for Pack-a-Purse