Atlanta Nonprofit Helps Incarcerated Mothers Reunite with Families
A local nonprofit has paid $441,000 to bail out nearly 70 women since 2020, helping mothers like Chabreya Hampton reunite with their children after incarceration.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA — An Atlanta-area nonprofit that provides financial assistance to bail out women from detention has reunited nearly 70 mothers with their families since launching its annual Mother’s Day bailout program in 2020.
Women on the Rise, founded in 2013, has paid out $441,000 through the program to help formerly incarcerated women get back on their feet. The organization carries out the bailout initiative in partnership with National Bail Out, a Black-led prison abolitionist group.
This Mother’s Day holds special significance for Chabreya Hampton, 30, who was recently reunited with her 15-year-old daughter after serving time in jail on drug-related charges. Hampton received assistance from Women on the Rise and is now pursuing her college education.
Emotional Reunions Mark Success
“When you see them again, it’s just the warmth, the embrace, the unconditional love that your child always sees you as the mother, nothing else,” Hampton said. “They don’t see the flaws, the troubles, the addictions, what you had to do, what put you in that situation. They only see ‘my momma is back home.’ And you feel the amount of warmth and unconditional love, it’s kind of unexplainable. It’s very overwhelming.”
Robyn Hasan-Simpson, executive director of Women on the Rise, said mothers face unique challenges when reintegrating into society that men typically do not encounter.
Gender Disparities in Support Systems
“When men come home, they have the baby mama, they got the mama, they got the grandma, they have a lot more support,” Hasan-Simpson said. “And then they don’t come home and the first thing they think of is how do I get my kids back? As a woman, we come home and we don’t have as much support, and we are also either thinking how do I get my kids back, or if your family took care of your children while you were gone.”
The nonprofit operates from its Hapeville office, where staff members work to provide comprehensive support for women transitioning back into their communities after incarceration.
Women on the Rise’s Mother’s Day bailout event is part of a broader effort to address systemic issues within the criminal justice system while providing immediate relief to families separated by incarceration. The organization’s work highlights the particular challenges faced by mothers in the justice system and the importance of family reunification in successful reentry programs.
