Incarcerated moms reunite with their kids for the first time in years over Easter

Nearly two dozen incarcerated mothers spent Easter weekend with their children thanks to a collaboration between the Federal Bureau of Prisons and a Christian ministry that ministers to prisoners, allowing reunited families to participate in Easter festivities in a relaxed setting.

In a video shared Saturday, God Behind Bars documented 23 mothers incarcerated at Federal Prison Camp Alderson in West Virginia reuniting with their children over Easter weekend. The mothers got to change out of their prison clothes into vibrant dresses, have their hair and makeup done, pick out presents for their children and participate in a variety of activities with them, including an Easter egg hunt, arts and crafts and a visit with the Easter bunny.

"This is my first time seeing my little baby my whole time being here," one mother said in the video.

"I get to see my kid for the first time in 5 years," another added.

"I can honestly say, like this is one of the nicest things that's ever been done for me," said a third incarcerated mother.  

In addition to documenting the mothers preparing for the reunion, footage showed the moms emotionally reuniting with and embracing their children. 

While the children often have the opportunity to visit their incarcerated mothers behind bars, God Behind Bars noted that last weekend's moment was "different” because “they didn’t just see their mother incarcerated, they saw her in a beautiful dress, restored and wrapped in dignity.”

“This is what rehabilitation looks like," God Behind Bars stated. 

The Federal Bureau of Prisons issued a comment about the event on its Facebook page Friday, sharing statistics finding that “Incarcerated individuals who maintain family connections through visits are up to 26% less likely to return to prison.”

“That’s why reunification ceremonies like this at #FPCAlderson are invaluable to rehabilitation as well as to public safety,” the Bureau of Prisons added. “Thank you God Behind Bars for your partnership in this effort!”

God Behind Bars partners with ministries across the country to transform the lives of inmates and their families by introducing them to Jesus and connecting them with local churches. The ministry regularly spearheads family reunification events. However, the nonprofit clarified in a Facebook post Monday that “this had NEVER happened before in federal prison history,” suggesting that the scale of the Easter weekend reunification event was larger than typical.

Other examples of family reunification events organized by God Behind Bars include the All Is Bright Christmas toy shop and family dinner celebrations. These events give children time with their family member "in a setting that doesn’t involve a stale visitation room." During the visits, they play games, receive presents, do crafts and eat a warm meal around the dinner table with their parent.