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‘Womanhood Program’ works to reduce recidivism among Latinas in Chelsea

CHELSEA, Mass. — A one-of-a kind educational program in Chelsea is working to reduce the rate of recidivism among Latin women, keeping them out of the court system and at home with their families.

So far, the Womanhood Program has seen a 90% success rate among the Latina population charged in Chelsea District Court. It’s on the third floor of the Chelsea Police Department that the workshops for the 15-week program are held.

Developed by Probation Officer Olga Lattarul, women who complete the program receive a three-month reduction in their probation and a $95 reduction in probation supervision fees.

Claudia Diaz first came to the program at the urging of her probation officer.

“I had been diagnosed bipolar and I wasn’t controlled yet, I didn’t know what types of medications to be put on, so my emotions and thoughts were all over the place,” said Diaz.

She says the information she’s gotten from the program has been invaluable.

“From domestic violence, what it was about, from hygiene, having lawyers come in and speak to us about different aspects of bankruptcy to immigration, probation, a lot of us don’t know about that.”

Every two-hour session is held in both English and Spanish. Officer Lattarul says that matters.

“[In] one of the classes, a lot of people will come forward and say they were victims, which is shocking because on my first time there, 15 people, 13 were victims,” said Officer Lattarul.

More than 10-year-old, the Womanhood Program is the only one of it’s kind in the state. According to Chelsea District Court, the recidivism rate for Latinas in the program is just 10%, about 30% below the national average.

Leslie Emmanuel has been through the program twice.

“I am a person in long-term recovery,” said Emmanuel. “I have a few charges that stem from my alcoholism, this time is a second DUI. It’s more of a bonding, sisterhood thing. As we learn more about each other in the class, you learn that being a victim of domestic violence, you’re not alone, even when you feel alone, you’re not."

Officer Lattarul says over 200 women have gone through the program to date. She also highlights the program, while developed with Latinas in mind, is open for women of all ethnic backgrounds.

The majority of the female incarcerated population are women of color, single mothers and victims of domestic violence. Between 1980 and 2014, the number of women in U.S. prisons and jails rose by over 700%.