Issue link: https://tmcpulse.uberflip.com/i/597435
t m c » p u l s e | n o v e m b e r 2 0 1 5 13 "We also set up a plan to figure out what they would like to do with their life," Marshall said. "I help them get into college and find transitional living if home will not be a safe place for them." The idea behind BAMBI is that allowing the mother and child to bond and preparing them for an independent future will make the mother less likely to reoffend. So far, it seems to be working. A recent Bureau of Justice Statistics study showed over 75 percent of state prisoners in 30 states, including Texas, were rearrested within five years. In the five years BAMBI has been active, its recidivism rate is just about eight percent. Danielle, 22, has been at BAMBI for three months I want my daughter's future to be bright and so much better than mine has been. — ASHLEY Mother of Kynzlee with her daughter Journi. She also has one older child, a seven-year-old who is in the foster care system. Before being accepted to BAMBI, she planned to send the baby home to her parents. She learned she would be heading to BAMBI on Mother's Day. "This was a second chance," she said. "When I lost my older daughter, I continued to fall backward. This made me realize I don't want to go back to that old life- style. I want to keep pushing forward, to be the mother and the daughter I'm supposed to be." Like many of the women at BAMBI, Danielle has seen a lot of heartache. She spoke of her sister who was murdered by a friend, and the lasting effect that had on her ability to relate to others. I want her to know that, yeah, her mother fell down sometimes, but she was able to pick herself up and remain sober, even when it was hard. — DANIELLE Mother of Journi Nothing in my past will stop me. From now on my daughter will only see the positive things and I will make a way for her to not have to repeat the cycle. It stops now. — LINDA Mother of Jerasia "After that I lost all trust," she said. "Being here made me realize it's OK to open up and talk to people. They're not here to judge me. I've learned to be assertive." That ability to change thought processes is a key to success for the women at BAMBI. That includes both being able to accept constructive criticism and learning to stand up for themselves. "We help them to recognize when they have faulty thinking and to be able to own that—to say, 'Yeah, I shouldn't have done that and this is why,'" Moore said. "We also want them to understand it's OK to tell people, 'You can't treat me this way.'"