What Life Is Like For Children Who Are Raised In Prison

Should These Mothers Even Be Sent To Prison At All?

At most of these prisons, women are chosen to participate in the programs based on their crimes and whether they’ve had a history of child abuse. Most are nonviolent offenders who serve rather short sentences. Some experts believe they’d be better off living in a cheaper, halfway house-like program that keep mothers with their kids. At Bedford, nearly all of the mothers who are released move to a halfway house in New York City where they get help with jobs and daycare. Dumas said: “It’s a way to get on my feet, try being a parent again on the outside but with a safety net. I don’t know anyone who gets that.”