Reunification Ride provides free transportation for families to visit Logan Correctional Center

The Reunification Ride program reunites incarcerated mothers at Logan Correctional Center and their children through monthly bus trips.

The Reunification Ride program, operating once a month, provides a crucial lifeline for families seeking to reconnect with incarcerated loved ones at Logan Correctional Center, a high-security women’s prison near Chicago.

The story of 9-year-old Caydrian, whose day begins at 3 a.m. with preparations leading to a coach bus trip to the prison, serves as an example of the program’s impact. Despite the cold and dreary weather, the children on the bus exhibit palpable anticipation, eager to embrace their mothers after weeks of separation.

Organized by a trio of Chicago nonprofits—the Moms United Against Violence and Incarceration, Women’s Justice Institute, and Nehemiah Trinity Rising—the Reunification Ride offers free transportation, allowing families to leave early in the morning, spend about four hours visiting the Logan Correctional Center, and return to Chicago by evening.

Each trip costs between $3,000 and $3,500, and Alexis Mansfield, an organizer with the Women’s Justice Institute, is one of the dedicated volunteers in charge of funding it entirely through crowdfunding.

Participants like Aurora Sanchez, a college student studying juvenile justice, express the significance of these visits, considering them special occasions akin to holidays.

For Sanchez, whose mother has been in prison for 20 years, the reunification holds particular importance, as her mother has never witnessed significant moments in her life.

The visit to Logan Correctional Center has a holiday-themed setting, with incarcerated mothers decorating the walls and families engaging in a gingerbread house decorating competition. One participant, Katrina Battiste, locked up while pregnant, proudly spends a moment with her 18-year-old son, Khamani, visiting from college. Her son is now an honor roll student studying architecture.

Dyanna Winchester, formerly incarcerated at Logan, emphasizes the program’s transformative potential, offering hope to those inside. Now working with the Women’s Justice Institute, Winchester dedicates her career to assisting women in re-entering society after incarceration.

Source: https://chicago.suntimes.com/2023/12/29/24016687/prison-bus-trips-reunification-ride-kids-moms-logan-correctional-center-downstate-lincoln-illinois

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio: https://www.pexels.com/photo/thoughtful-young-lady-using-smartphone-while-riding-bus-3973944/