Infants gave inmates hope and pride, therapist testifies

VANCOUVER – A recreational therapist says having infants with their mothers in a provincial prison gave the prisoners a sense of hope and pride.

Alison Granger-Brown is testifying in B.C. Supreme Court as part of a constitutional challenge launched after the provincial mother-baby program was cancelled in 2008.

She told court that organizing birthday parties and christenings for the babies, as well as teaching the incarcerated mothers how to play with their children, created a joyful environment within Maple Ridge’s Alouette Correctional Centre for Women.

Granger-Brown says even though some inmates found it emotionally hard to be around the babies, the women were always careful about their behaviour around the infants.

Two former inmates argue that not being allowed to have their babies with them while they served their sentence after the program was cancelled constituted cruel punishment and was an infringement of their rights as mothers.

Patricia Block, one of the plaintiffs involved, is expected to testify.