Marilyn Gambrell at No More Victims’ headquarters

Soon after Jane Smith (not her real name) moved to Texas in 1994, she was arrested and sent to prison for aggravated robbery. Shortly after she was released from prison, she was arrested again for possessing and delivering crack cocaine. After spending most of the past six years in prison, Ms. Smith now is going home.

Instead of feeling excited about her future, Ms. Smith is worried about her teenage daughter who now has a child of her own and has been in trouble with drugs. She admits, "I have a lot of making up to do to my daughter as well as my family. I know when I go home it’s going to be a really tough task because I don’t know how she’s going to react."

During her last few months of incarceration at a transitional facility, Ms. Smith acquired some tools to help her deal with the potentially explosive situation. Through weekly therapeutic group sessions, Marilyn Gambrell, founder and director of No More Victims, Inc. helps prisoners understand that their kids are supposed to be mad. She explains, "They’ve been abandoned, and there’s guilt and shame attached to how these children view their parents." Ms. Gambrell advises parents to pick a time and place where their children can rage and ask questions. She also teaches them that "mommy" and "daddy" are titles they must earn.

With help from No More Victims, Ms. Smith has found alternatives to dealing with her problems. "At one point, I thought that when I get home and my daughter starts asking me all these questions about the penitentiary, I’m going to get so frustrated about not knowing how to answer them that I’ll start using drugs or drinking. That used to be my only way out. Today I know I don’t have to do that."

No More Victims hopes to stop the intergenerational cycle of crime and violence by counseling and caring for incarcerated parents and their children. Ms. Gambrell says, "They all come with so many wounds, but this is a topic most people won’t touch. They say, ‘I don’t care about those kids. Their parents are nothing but criminals and dope fiends.’

"But we teach that all of us count, that all of us are precious, that our childhood experiences dictate our adult behavior. No More Victims is here to stop the pain."

Ms. Smith adds, "I have a lot of Xs on my back. For one, I’m an ex-convict. But because of Ms. Gambrell and No More Victims, I know that I can be somebody. And this time, I’m going to make it."

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