Mother’s Day event reunites kids, incarcerated parents in Chowchilla

Hugging for the first time in more than a decade, Kelly Sorrell and her 20-year-old daughter, Kaitlyn Mahan, relished every moment Friday during a visit that saw hundreds of family members from across California go to the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla to celebrate Mother’s Day.

Sorrell was dressed in her prison blues and Mahan in a purple “Get On The Bus” T-shirt as they laughed, embraced, cried and smiled.

“This is the first Mother’s Day that I actually feel like a mom,” Sorrell said.

“It’s the first Mother’s Day that I even want to celebrate,” Mahan added.

The “Get On The Bus” program is possible through a partnership between the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and the Center for Restorative Justice Works. It was launched in 2000 when 13 children rode a bus to see their moms at the Chowchilla facility. For 16 years, donations have enabled more children to be bused from various places to visit their parents in state correctional facilities.

“It’s an effort to keep families connected, and it’s part of the rehabilitation process for parents,” said Amalia Molina, executive director of the program. “It lets the children know they are loved. The best gift to give a child is a beautiful day with their mom.”

On Friday, 12 buses from Sacramento, the Bay Area, Los Angeles and San Bernardino transported children and caretakers to see their mothers in the Chowchilla prison, where inmates had prepared for months for the event by making decorations; raising money for food; and putting together activities such as games, face painting and photos.

“They’re not visiting a prison. They’re visiting mommy – that’s the environment,” Molina said.

Children of all ages, from infants to adults, awoke before daybreak to board the buses and begin their journey. Churches put together food, blankets and backpacks with entertainment for the trip.

Buses began arriving at the Chowchilla facility about 8 a.m. Children were processed into the facility’s visitor center before they met with their mothers.

“It feels amazing to finally get to talk to my mom, and not someone who’s pretending to be my mom,” Mahan said. The last time Mahan saw her mother without a glass separating them was when she was 8 years old.

Sorrell is serving a 29-year term after pleading guilty to first-degree murder for her role in the racially motivated slaying of Howard Garfield McClendon in 1997, a crime she later described as “awful.” During her 2014 sentencing, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Stephen A. Marcus said he believed Sorrell was “truly remorseful,” according to a report from City News Service.

Sorrell said she is scheduled to go before the parole board in 2030.

“I’m getting to know my daughter as an adult, face to face,” she said. “It’s great to see what an awesome person she is. Sometimes I stress because she’s definitely my child. But she got all the good parts of me. She’s responsible and making good decisions, so I know I don’t need to worry.”

Sorrell said she’s lucky her family continues to show her compassion. “They’re very understanding. They don’t condone what I did, but they don’t hate me either. They love me anyway.”

“No matter what happens, or what happens in the future, I’ll always love her,” Mahan said about her mother.

The mother-daughter duo encouraged family members to continue communicating with incarcerated loved ones. “Whether you’re mad or not, they still want to hear from you,” Mahan said.

“That’s the only way some people will heal – is knowing that someone out there still loves them,” Sorrell said.

Central California Women’s Facility houses more than 2,900 women, many of whom are serving lengthy or life sentences, said Kristina Khokhobashvili, a state corrections public information officer. More than 20 women are on death row. It’s the only reception center in the state, serving all 58 counties in California.

Last year, the prison saw only 21 family visits, when families can stay overnight. The facility has multiple units for families that are separate from inmate housing.

“A lot of families don’t have the means to come every week because of money or transportation,” said Ernesto Gil, a correctional officer at the facility. “The inmates hold onto the faith of family. Sometimes that’s all they have at the end of the day.”

Gil said the program helps reach toward the correction department’s end goal – rehabilitating inmates so they can return to civilian life. “We want the inmate to rehabilitate so they won’t return to the streets, so they can straighten out their lives and have better for their kids. They say when they go back they want to do good and get a job.”

The Mother’s Day event makes time feel as if it’s passing more quickly for Tracy Taylor, 33, who is serving a sentence in the slaying of her boyfriend and expects to be paroled next year.

Friday was the first time in a year she saw her daughter, Alexis Williams, 10, and her sister, Angelica Rangel, 22, from Long Beach.

“I appreciate the program because it helps motivate me to get ready to parole,” Taylor said. “I’m excited to reunite with my family, work and start life over on a second chance.”

This story was originally published May 6, 2016 at 7:28 PM with the headline "Mother’s Day event reunites kids, incarcerated parents in Chowchilla."