Caption: Incarcerated mother in Decatur Prison’s Nursery Program and Reunification Unit. , Credit: Photo courtesy of Shannon Heffernan http://www.timeontheoutside.com/prison-nursery
Image by: Photo courtesy of Shannon Heffernan http://www.timeontheoutside.com/prison-nursery 
Incarcerated mother in Decatur Prison’s Nursery Program and Reunification Unit.  

The Light Inside: Giving Birth Behind Bars

From: Making Contact
Series: Making Contact
Length: 29:00

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A look at pregnancy, and motherhood, inside US jails and prisons. What does the huge number of incarcerated women in prison foretell for the next generation of America’s kids? Read the full description.

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What’s it like to give birth or raise an infant, inside the walls of a prison?  Or even worse, have to give up your child the day it’s born?  On this edition, a look at pregnancy, and motherhood, inside Americas jails and prisons.  What does the huge number of incarcerated women in prison foretell for the next generation of America’s kids?

Special thanks to segment producers: Shaunnah Ray and Shannon Heffernan. Heffernan’s  Time on the Outside project is produced with support from the Soros Justice Media Fellowships Program of the Open Society Institute.

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Piece Description

What’s it like to give birth or raise an infant, inside the walls of a prison?  Or even worse, have to give up your child the day it’s born?  On this edition, a look at pregnancy, and motherhood, inside Americas jails and prisons.  What does the huge number of incarcerated women in prison foretell for the next generation of America’s kids?

Special thanks to segment producers: Shaunnah Ray and Shannon Heffernan. Heffernan’s  Time on the Outside project is produced with support from the Soros Justice Media Fellowships Program of the Open Society Institute.

Timing and Cues

Total run time is 29 minutes (no hard breaks)
-Optional cutaway at 1:00
-Optional (floating) cutaway between 12:00 and 20:00
-Music in/out.

Additional Credits

Producer/Host: Andrew Stelzer
Producers: Kyung Jin Lee, Esther Manilla
Contributing Produceers: Shannon Heffernan, Shaunnah Ray, Sarah Olson
Executive Director: Lisa Rudman
Development Associate: Steph St. Clair
Production Intern: Lisa Bartfai, Meaghan LaSala
Web Editor: Irene Flores
Organizational Volunteers: Karen Mui, Alton Byrd, Jamila Khan, Salima Hamirani, Barbara Barnett and Barbara Muniz

Related Website

http://www.radioproject.org