A correctional officer in Louisiana has been fired from her job after she agreed to take care of a prisoner’s newborn baby.
Roberta Bell, a 58-year-old grandmother who is raising five of her eight grandchildren, was working at the Louisiana Transitional Center for Women when she learned of a prisoner who was pregnant and in need of help. Bell, who had taken the job to be closer to her parents, also saw it as an opportunity to do God’s work.
“God had already tried to put on my heart to minister to women and to get them to know and start serving Christ,” she said. “Doing the right thing instead of doing the wrong thing. Once I got hired and I started working over there, I was ministering to the young ladies.”
The pregnant prisoner, Katie Bourgeois, was going to give birth before her sentence ended and was worried that after giving birth she wouldn’t see her baby again. After having already lost custody of her daughter, Bourgeois didn’t want to risk losing her soon-to-be-born baby boy too.
Bourgeois was due to give birth about two months before her scheduled release. According to Mississippi Today, Bourgeois had no family members who were able to care for her son and reached out to other women at the prison for advice. Together, they determined “Mama Bell” would be the best choice to care for Bourgeois’ baby.
One woman spotted Bell and called out to her. Bell recalled, “She said, ‘Ms. Bell, Ms. Bell! You’ll keep her baby for her, won’t you, Ms. Bell? Won’t you keep her baby? She just doesn’t want her baby to go to CPS.'”
Bell agreed, not fully believing that the arrangement would actually happen. But after speaking with Bourgeois about her situation, Bell met with her commanding officer to see if she was allowed to help Bourgeois.
“I told him that I didn’t want to do anything against the policy and procedures. ‘I want to come to you and let you know that I don’t want to see this child’s baby go to CPS,'” she said.
He told her that he would get back to her, but he didn’t. Time was ticking by so Bell then reached out to the owner of the prison. But the owner never responded to her either. Three months went by and Bourgeois was ready to give birth and asked Bell for her contact information to give to the hospital so Bell could bring the baby home with her. But then, on one of her days off from the prison, Bell said prison authorities authorized prison workers to go through Bourgeois’ belongings. The commander officer then asked to see Bell, who received a call from an anonymous woman warning her that her contact information had been found in Bourgeois’ room.
“I told her, ‘I’m not worried about that. I can handle what I’ve done. It’s not secret because the major already knew… he knew I was thinking about trying to get the baby,'” she said.
In sharing her information with the prisoner, the officer said Bell had violated prison rules. When she tried to explain about the baby, the officer said that regardless of the situation, sharing her personal information was still a violation. The officer then asked if she intended to go through with her decision to care for Bourgeois’ baby.
“I said, ‘Major, if the hospital calls me to come get that baby, I’m going to get that baby because I gave her my word,’” she said.
Bell was fired immediately. She believes she was targeted for doing the right thing.
Baby Kayson was born a short time later and went home with Bell until his mother was released from prison. Bell said she loves Kayson “as if he’s my own grandbaby.” Her daughter, husband, and grandchildren all enjoyed helping to care for him.
At her release in July, Bourgeois walked out of prison where she was greeted by Bell and Kayson. Bourgeois said of Bell, “I can’t thank her enough for everything she’s done.”
Though Bell said there have been good days and bad days, it’s been “a joy” to help care for Kayson. “I love him. I love him dearly. But it’s her baby. And I want her to have her baby. Because you know what, their baby is gonna bring joy to her, and her and her mom,” she said.
Bourgeois is working to find a job and get back on her feet. Bell said she finds it “amazing” that Bourgeois is working to make a better life for her baby. According to CBS, Kayson is now in foster care as Bourgeois gets her life in order.
As for Bell, a Go Fund Me account has brought in more than $12,000 to help her after losing her job. She now has a job sorting cans and is building a recovery home for women like Bourgeois who are transitioning from prison to freedom. CBS reported that Bell also paid the costs for the mother of another inmate to get to the hospital so she could take her grandchild home with her.
