Eighty percent of the 2,800 incarcerated women in Illinois have children. PACT, sponsored by the Department of Corrections and the Women's Treatment Center, keeps these women connected to their families to prevent behavioral problems in the children and recidivism in the mothers.

Each year, 100 mothers participate in PACT, all of whom have their parental rights intact and permission from the guardians of their children. Sessions are facilitated by a social worker, limited to 30 minutes, and forbid profanity, cell phones, foreign languages, or discussions about money.

"This allows the mothers to interact with their kids without subjecting the kids to prison life," said Lisa Parks-Johnson, director of the parenting program at the Women's Treatment Center. "It's a way of keeping mother and child connected."

Before it was temporarily dismantled last September due to budget cuts, the program also provided weekly group counseling sessions in which a social worker guided the women in using the visits to better their relationships with their children. Since the program re-opened in February, services have been cut back, and some fear there will be no funding at all next year.

"I think it's a vitally important program," said Gail Smith, executive director of Chicago Legal Aid to Incarcerated Mothers. Those incarcerated for non-violent crimes would benefit more from special treatment housing nearer to their children, she noted. The video sessions are "no substitute for a real visit."