by Charlie Brooks posted in Parenting

In a country with more than 215,000 women in prison as of 2014, what happens to an incarcerated mother-to-be" An estimated three to four percent of women enter prison pregnant, which often means an uncomfortable birth and an immediate separation from their child. One photographer, Cheryl Hanna-Truscott, has used her talents to showcase an alternative.
A new solution for incarcerated moms
The Washington Correction Center for Women (WCCW) has a means for some incarcerated women to keep their babies and raise them. Pregnant women who are non-violent offenders with a sentence less than 30 months raise their children in the J-unit.
Each mother in the J-unit gets a private room with a bed and a crib. Hanna-Truscott has a gallery of pictures from the J-unit, allowing the incarcerated mothers to tell their stories. Now in operation since 1999, the J-unit has helped given dozens of moms a second chance.
The reality is that a solution like the J-unit needs to be available. In 1980, the U.S. had approximate 26,000 incarcerated women. In 2014, that number increased to more than 215,000. That's an increase of more than 700 percent when the country?s population over that same period only increased by about 40 percent.
Results so far
In an admittedly limited sample size, the WCCW?s program has accomplished more than just allowing moms to stay with their kids. The rate of mothers who reoffend after entering the program is between 10 and 12 pe...