Over the past four years the Arizona Department of Corrections has partnered with the Girl Scouts Arizona-Cactus Pine Council to bring incarcerated moms and their daughters together through scouting activities.
Twenty inmates and 28 daughters are brought together through the GSBB program at ASPC-Perryville every two weeks. The moms must have completed the mandatory literacy program and be enrolled in parenting classes to participate.
During the two-hour meetings, the inmates and their daughters participate in a Girl Scout meeting as much like meetings are held in the community as security considerations will allow. Volunteers from the Cactus Pine Council co-lead the meetings and make sure the girls get to and from the meetings.
Girl Scouts Beyond Bars is a national program that began in 1992 in Maryland. Since then it has been adopted by 27 states including Arizona. The ADC conducted a pilot program in 1999. It was formally adopted at ASPC-Perryville in 2002. Since then 256 inmates who are moms and their 387 daughters have participated in GSBB.
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