There are over 2 million children in the U.S. with at least one parent behind bars. 95% of women in prison have at least one child. According to Amnesty International, the number of women incarcerated jumped from about 2,000 in 1986 to over 23,000 in 1996.

Currently, the Girls Scout Council of the United States has implemented programs in many states to organize and conduct scout meetings inside prison facilities involving the mothers of these members.

Program Opportunities: Girl Scouts Beyond Bars, Girl Scouting in Detention Centers

In college I worked for the Girl Scouts Beyond Bars program...it was a great program to witness both for the young girls and the prisoners. I often wish they would do something like this for young boys and their fathers. Maybe it would bridge the gap for some of these boys who have no strong ties to their fathers once they are incarcerated.

I work with the girl scouts behind bars program. It's wonderful. With our girls we allow them to bring their siblings. Our troop doesn't just do it with moms behind bars, we also take them to visit fathers behind bars if they are in there.

My hubsand and I aslo do a very informal thing with the boy scouts. I've tried getting our local boy scount council to sponser an offical outing once a month to area prisons/jails. It's not for lack of voulenteers, I've found plenty of people willing and able to accomony the boys (as I have with the girls) to the jail. It's somthing they are mulling and sitting on the fence over.

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This has been going on in Gatesville TX since1998 ! I am very surprised TDCJ allowed it .
Enterprising Girl Scouts Beyond Bars

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If the storm doesn't kill me
the government will

REM

Oh gosh, I noticed the title of this thread and thought it meant scouts had been thrown in jail for some reason. Like it was one of those news articles. Some sort of "cookie drive extortion ring" uncovered or what have you hehehe.

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"Thats it then, they will go on double, secret, probation..."

Gotta love those Scouts! I was one for quite some time. I think this is an absolutely wonderful thing they are doing though.

Yeah me to. I was a Brownie and then a Girl Scout. We did some interesting outreach type projects in the community. Of course at the time I was kind of young so it was more about having fun and goofing off very often.

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"Thats it then, they will go on double, secret, probation..."

Cookie Drive Extortion Ring................once again - you have me laughing way too early in the morning, 9:00a.m. asha.......I'm sleepy but that woke me up!!!!

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Psalm 69:33 - "For the Lord hears the poor and does not despise his prisoners." NKJV

OH in TX it is a felony seriously they would be in TYC or TDC Though Asha's comment is funny . I can see it "hey chica what you in for ? new prisoner " uh cookie extortion I caught ten years oh my Hermana caught agg cookie extortion and is down 20 years "

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If the storm doesn't kill me
the government will

REM