Navigating pregnancy can be challenging under typical circumstances, but for an inmate, preparing for a baby while incarcerated presents an even greater challenge.
This was the reality for Katie Bourgeois, who was serving a short sentence at the Louisiana Transitional Center for Women in Tallulah, Louisiana. With her due date approaching in May, Bourgeois found herself in a desperate situation as she faced the prospect of her baby potentially entering foster care due to a lack of suitable caregivers.
Bourgeois, whose release was scheduled for July, had no family members available to take custody of her newborn. Fearing that her baby might be taken into foster care if she couldn’t find someone to care for the child, Bourgeois turned to Roberta Bell, a correctional officer at the facility.
Bell, who had been working at the center for over three years and was known for her dedication to helping inmates, had become a source of hope for Bourgeois. The idea of Bell stepping in as a temporary caregiver had started as a running joke among the staff, but it soon became a serious possibility.
Bourgeois approached Bell and earnestly requested that she take on the role of legal guardian for her baby. “She was very concerned about Child Protection Services taking her baby and not knowing where it would be, given her short time left to serve,” Bell told WLBT. “She said, ‘I need somebody to get my baby when I have it because I don’t have anyone else.’”
Before agreeing to take on this significant responsibility, Bell sought approval from her superiors to ensure that she would not be violating any rules. However, weeks passed with no response. As the baby’s delivery approached, Bell took the initiative to provide Bourgeois with her contact details so that the hospital could transfer the baby to her care upon birth.
Bell’s decision led to her termination from the correctional facility, but she remained resolute in her commitment to supporting Bourgeois. On May 17, baby Kayson Bourgeois was born, and Bell, now no longer employed at the facility, took him to her home in Mississippi.
Each year, approximately 58,000 pregnant individuals are incarcerated, with many babies born while their mothers are behind bars, according to the Prison Policy Initiative.
Typically, new mothers are allowed only 24 hours with their newborns in the hospital before returning to prison, with the baby then placed with a relative or in foster care. Only 12 states offer prison-based nursery programs, making the separation from their children a common and distressing outcome.
For Bourgeois, having a correctional officer willing to risk her job to ensure her baby avoided the foster care system was a blessing. Despite the personal cost, Bell expressed no regrets about her decision. “I wouldn’t change a thing because this is who I am,” she told WLBT.
Bell’s long-term goal remains to open a recovery home for women exiting prison, but for now, her focus is on caring for baby Kayson and ensuring he has everything he needs.