Grandma of 8 Gets Fired after Taking in an Infant Whose Mom Was in Prison

When a woman working as a corrections officer decided to help a pregnant inmate in need, she knew it could make her employer unhappy. However, she had no regrets when her act of kindness turned into punishment.

Roberta Bell had been serving as a guard in the juvenile and women's corrections departments in Lousiana for almost four years when she received a call for help from one of the inmates at the Lousiana Transition Center for Women in Tallulah.

Bell, a grandmother to eight children, was known for her love for children, but she had no idea that it would put her job security at risk. The 58-year-old woman thought her employer would understand why she broke a rule to help a woman in need.

As part of her job, Bell interacted with hundreds of women at the private prison, which made her compassionate towards them. She had no idea that her good deed would make her lose her job.

"So many of them have been used and abused and have had hard lives on the streets," Bell said about the women in the prison. She wanted to bring happiness to one of the women's lives, unaware that things wouldn't go as expected.

What Did Bell Do to Help the Woman?

It was a regular day for Bell when she learned about Katie Bourgeois, a pregnant inmate who wouldn't be released before her due date in May 2023. Bell learned about Bourgeois' dilemma through another inmate, the pregnant woman's friend.

The 30-year-old woman was in prison for drug charges and wouldn't be released until July. She learned about her pregnancy during her time in jail and panicked at the thought of giving her little one to Child Protective Services. She recalled:

"I wasn't sure what to do or where to turn."

When the mom-to-be told her fellow inmates about her situation, many said she could ask Bell for help. Soon, Bell learned about her through one of the women and decided to help.

"I knew it was the right thing to do," Bell said about her decision to help Bourgeois. She immediately offered to keep Bourgeois' baby after the delivery until the authorities released her from prison.

Upon hearing the offer, Bourgeois felt at peace because she had no one to care for her baby. She agreed to give her baby to the corrections officer for around two months before her release.

Keeping the baby meant Bell had to share her contact information with Bourgeois, which was against the terms of her employment. However, the woman thought the prison authorities would understand the situation and her kindness would help her keep her job.

"[My supervisor] said it sounded like a conflict of interest because I worked there, but that he'd talk to some people in charge," Bell recalled what happened after she told her supervisor about her plan of keeping Bourgeois' baby. She had planned to come to work by leaving the newborn at a nearby daycare center.

Bell didn't hear from her employer about her decision until Bourgeois went into labor on May 16. The prison administrator called her for a meeting, telling her she had broken a rule by sharing her contact information with an inmate. Bell recalled:

"He asked if I was still going to go through with [caring for the baby], and I told him that if the hospital called me, I was going to go and get that child."

Instead of understanding her situation, the administrator fired Bell after learning about her final decision. However, losing her job didn't affect Bell because she wanted to do the best thing for Bourgeois and her child.

What Happened after She Got Fired?

On May 17, Bourgeois welcomed her baby boy, Kayson, into this world. She felt relieved knowing Bell would care for the little one when she returned to prison. During the time she spent away from her baby, Bourgeois wasn't allowed to talk to Bell.

Once Bourgeois returned to prison, the hospital called Bell to take the baby. Bell cared for the little one for the next two months, feeding him every few hours. She changed diapers, put him to bed, and did everything she would to raise her own child.

On July 4, Bell went to her old workplace to pick Bourgeois from prison and felt excited to show the mother how much her little one had grown. Since Bourgeois did not have a source of income at the time of her release, Bell allowed her to stay at her place with little Kayson until she could find a job.

"I love him. I love him dearly. But it's her baby. And I want her to have her baby because, you know what? The baby is going to bring joy to her and her mom," Bell said about giving Kayson back to his mother.

After caring for the little one for two months, Bell found a job opportunity in her neighborhood requiring her to care for an elderly person. However, she plans to open a recovery home for women released from prison. She said:

"To get them away from the surroundings that they were in that caused them to get in trouble, that's my passion."

Even after losing her job, Bell said there is nothing she would want to change about the past. She felt happy to help Bourgeois in her time of need and hoped to help other women like her.

Click here to read another story about a mother of seven who adopted a baby abandoned by his mother and got fired for it.