What Happens To Babies Born Behind Bars?

I once read that 5% of female prisoners in the US arrive pregnant. It is impossible to fully grasp what that means, even if you read stories about the actual experiences of mothers and babies behind bars. There have been long-running experiments in both the US and the UK to try and keep mother and baby together. But as a new mum myself, the full extent of the impact of such programmes hit me when I saw the powerful images accompanying this well-written reportage piece in The Atlantic.

The innocence of the children, some as little as 10 weeks old. The bottle feeds and toys - almost like a baby room. It took me a while to realise what it was about these images that struck me most. I realised it was the promise of new life, new chances and the non-judgemental, unconditional love of babies. The harsh reminders in the form of jail suits and a door that locks from the outside are only visible to us adults. The infants know only one thing: not that they are in prison, but that they are with mum.