News-Record.com

By Jackie Nelson

The following is a Counterpoint column:

I'm writing in response to the article, "For $395,000, prison's yours" (Aug. 10).

Our staff and board have gotten a number of calls making it apparent that we need to clarify a couple of points.

Our facility is not a prison. It is a program that is an alternative to prison for nonviolent women with children.

Mothers are referred to the program by attorneys, judges and probations officers throughout North Carolina. Summit House is an intensive residential program that focuses on rehabilitation, teaching responsible citizenship, respect for the law, behavior modification and the skills for living an independent, productive lifestyle.

Our program helps preserve the family unit, fosters the mother-child bond and provides the mother with parenting skills. With the help of local agencies, it includes individual counseling, vocational training, substance abuse counseling and 12-step programs.

At the residential home, strict guidelines and a point system regulate the women's daily lives. A team of case managers is present 24 hours a day to work with the women and children and to supervise the household.

The women and their children usually graduate from our program in 18 to 24 months and re-enter society as productive citizens. The Summit House-Piedmont program has had a 5 percent recidivism rate, which means that 95 percent of our women become responsible citizens and do not return to criminal behavior.

The cycle of crime is broken. The mothers' lives are changed. The children's lives are changed.

The Summit House-Piedmont program is not closing down. We do have our house on Summit Avenue for sale as it no longer fits the needs of our program. We are looking either for an existing facility or a parcel of land to build on.

The Summit House-Piedmont program was started in 1987 by a group of community volunteers who were concerned about the adverse effects on children whose mothers were incarcerated. Their goal was to keep families together while rehabilitating the mothers. Summit House-Raleigh and Summit House-Charlotte opened their doors in 1995.
A statewide board of directors is responsible for all aspects of the program.

A local board of trustees oversees the local program and raises local funds. Funding is received from the state of North Carolina, local United Ways, individuals, corporations, foundations, and civic and religious organizations.

Further information can be obtained from our local office. The telephone number is 275-9366.

The writer lives in Greensboro and is chairwoman of the board, Summit House-Piedmont.