Creating Calm in a Challenging Space: Lori Day’s Legacy at Suffolk House of Corrections

When Lori Day stepped into the Suffolk House of Corrections five years ago, she brought with her a quiet determination, a belief in the inherent worth of every parent, and a bag of craft supplies.

A longtime advocate for families, Lori joined the Parents Helping Parents (PHP) program at Suffolk with co-facilitator Sara Stoutland. Together, they created a support group that became a safe, creative, and compassionate space for incarcerated mothers navigating parenting behind bars. What began with coloring soon grew into a full-fledged program that used hands-on craft activities to help participants relax, reflect, and share their stories in a supportive environment.

“I’ve seen firsthand how incarceration affects families in my own extended family,” Lori shared. “I wanted to be the person who showed up with support that others never received.”

Their group was anything but traditional. In a setting often marked by chaos, Lori and Sara used check-ins, card-making, origami, and thoughtful prompts to help women process their experiences and reconnect with their identities as parents. The structure was flexible, the tone was nonjudgmental, and the activities were as creative as the setting allowed—sometimes even more so.

“The number of obstacles these parents had to overcome in society to have made it into our group is truly astonishing,” Lori said. “Each week when I left Suffolk, I carried both heartbreak and hope with me.”

Navigating the prison’s ever-changing population and tight restrictions on materials, Lori became adept at making the most out of very little. She credits the resilience of the participants—and their creative brilliance—with inspiring her week after week.

Now stepping away from the prison program, Lori is continuing to facilitate PHP’s Parenting Teens with Special Needs group, bringing the same compassion and insight to another group of caregivers in need of support.

As she reflected on her time at Suffolk, Lori shared one simple hope: “That the group continues to be a supportive and nonjudgmental haven for the parents at Suffolk.”

We are deeply grateful to Lori for her years of dedication, warmth, and creativity. Her work has left a lasting impact on the families she served—and on all of us at PHP.

Interested in learning more about our work in correctional facilities?