The children of women convicted of murder, drug use/abuse or theft may not be incarcerated alongside their mothers, but unwittingly they're also being punished. The Girl Scouts Beyond Bars program offers to rebuild broken mother-daughter relationships, easing separation and empowering young women to manage feelings of anger and abandonment.

When a mother is incarcerated, a dual punishment happens. The children of female inmates are frequently left without maternal guidance, are they're suddenly flanked by conflict and intimacy issues. Those children are among the most at-risk populations in the United States because their primary caregiver has become incarcerated. Girl Scouts Beyond Bars program (GSBB), an initiative designed to maintain and grow mother-child relationships while mothers are away, takes a holistic approach to facilitating emotional security and building familial bonds.

Lindsey, a member of the Girl Scouts of Central Texas council and a high school student, has been involved with GSBB for six years. Like each girl enrolled in GSBB, Lindsey temporarily lost a parent to the prison system. Now college-bound and looking forward a future in community service, Lindsey once struggled with anger, frustration and confusion.

"Growing up, there wasn't a lot positive role models, or a lot positive influence ... it just wasn't really a positive environment," Lindsey told Latin Post. "My mom and my stepdad didn't make a lot of really good choices. Whenever my mother was incarcerated it affected me a lot because I was already a shy kid, I was already really sensitive. Then when she was incarcerated [for an extended period of time], I became really mean, and developed a really hard shell.

"I remember the day my mom was arrested. I have two younger siblings and they were inside ... and I was just walking and I saw the police. I asked what was going on, but I already knew. My mother had been incarcerated before, but never for a long period of time. She would always come home the next day or the next week. I knew this time was different, I knew this time I wasn't going to see her for a while."

After Lindsey's mother was incarcerated, she and her siblings stayed with an aunt and uncle for a short period of time, then her grandmother took them in, legally adopting them. Her grandmother, an attentive woman, drove her and her brother to school and her 15-month-old sister to day care, and her grandmother was at home in the afternoons when they returned from school. Lindsey found some stability but continued to struggle with her mother's departure, moving and changing schools. Although she was only in third grade at the time, she'd already attended five elementary schools.

"I thought, oh I have to start all over again, but this time it was in a different place, in a different area, and I remember being so jealous of the other kids at school because they had what I didn't have," said Lindsey. "I didn't see what they were going through on a daily basis, but I what I didn't have, I saw that they did have. A family. I didn't have that, and that's why I was really mean to a lot of kids. I really regret that, but I was just in a really place after that."

Everything changed one day when a Girl Scout troop leader knocked on her door and told her about GSBB. Through the program, she would be able to see her mother once a month. Already an enticing offer, the program promised to connect her with other girls going through the same experiences with their parental figures. Initially, Lindsey was nervous to meet the other girls, but it was quickly revealed that everything would be fine. She met with the other girls, learned their stories and discovered that some of their mothers were incarcerated with her mother. The community of girls managed to foster support, promote forgiveness and teach Lindsey that all of her dreams were valid.

"I've connected so much with the girls here," said Lindsey. "My mother and I, we've been in the program for 4-6 years now and this past March she finally came home. She's been on her feet. Some of the younger girls' mothers are coming out and they're asking me for advice, like 'How is it going to feel?' 'What am I going to do?' or 'What happens if we don't get along?' I'm glad to be there to help them. I can help guide the girls and be a role model to them. I really encourage them to be the best they can be because at the end of day that's who you are."

Lindsey offers similar advice to her family, telling them they can do anything they want to. According to her, "Of course there are going to be bumps in the road, but you have to push through. I want them to know this is their lives and they have all of the power. It's up to them. If they really want to succeed, and they really try then they can, I want them to know that."

Just a few years ago, Lindsey couldn't imagine that she would pursue education following high school. She'd heard that it'd be extremely expensive or extremely difficult, but Girl Scouts helped her to develop confidence. She began to see her future and what she wanted to do. She turned that failing grade in Geometry to all A's, and began to imagine herself as a teacher, social worker actress and an engineer.

Now, Lindsey plans to go to college, not only because she's eager to be a role model to her cousins and siblings, but because she wants to continually help her community. Already, she's developed an interest in urban gardening. Through the program Urban Roots, she's helped to feed the elderly and sell food at farmer's markets. Also, she has her own budding garden, which went from a single garden bed to a garden that's 9x11 feet. She loves helping her community, and one way she does that is through food, through gardening.

"I've learned finally to let things go and I can breathe...and I'm not as shy with other people, I don't try to look for problems with anyone," said the future structural engineer. "If anything I feel like I'm a problem solver and I'm a lover, I'm not a fighter. Also, I'm in a Girl Scouts sorority and a few years ago, I would have never thought about joining a sorority, and I would have never thought about running for president, and I ran for president and I'm president. I have so much confidence now, and I have so much motivation now."

Lindsey spotted a silver lining in her experience, saying had she not gone through her mother's incarceration, it's possible that she wouldn't have joined Girl Scouts.

To join or volunteer, visit www.girlscouts.org/join.

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