What Life Is Like For Children Who Are Raised In Prison

The Cost To Raise A Child In Jail

Liz Hamilton ran the nursery program at Bedford and explained: “It is punishment. Of course you see the warm, fuzzy, the baby care, but you don’t see the waking up early, getting all the chores done. They don’t have their freedom, and they don’t get to make all the choices they would make outside.” Each baby costs about $24,000 a year to take care of in jail. However, that’s less than the $30,000 it would cost if the mom returned to prison due to lack of support. “If that woman stays out of jail for five years, think of [those] savings,” Hamilton said. “It’s keeping that child from the foster care system. That’s another expensive program.”