Released mothers struggle outside of prison

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ Department of Human Services officials say women struggle with making the transition from surviving prison to motherhood. <br/><br/>DHS administrator Kathy Simms says the struggle

Sunday, November 13th 2005, 1:14 pm

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ Department of Human Services officials say women struggle with making the transition from surviving prison to motherhood.

DHS administrator Kathy Simms says the struggle often leads to abuse.

More than 2,250 females were counted in Oklahoma prisons at the end of October, and the majority of them mothers.

Oklahoma ranks first in the nation in per capita female incarcerations, jailing 129 per 100,000 women.

Director of the Oklahoma Criminal Justice Resource Center KC Moon says the newly released mothers often face overwhelming debt and have difficulty finding jobs.

Moons says the mothers may turn to stealing or selling drugs to pay off debts. He says state debts should be alleviated to prevent a repeated offense.