Separated at Birth:
The Reality for Babies in Georgia Prisons
When women in Georgia prisons give birth they generally have 48 hours with their babies before they’re separated and mothers are sent back to prison without their newborns. Television shows have given people the impression that “prison nurseries” are commonplace, but there are only 8 prison nurseries in the entire country. So if they don’t leave the hospital with their mothers, what happens to these infants?
These infants are not in foster care. Most infants leave the hospital with a temporary caregiver, most often in the arms of a grandmother. Many of these grandmothers did not anticipate the journey back to childrearing, and for many, accepting the responsibilities of caring for a newborn creates financial and emotional stress for the family. One grandmother recently told us, “I’m kind of like, well, I done raised mine and sat up all night with a colic or this or that, and then woke up for feedings and stuff. I’m older, I want my rest…A person can't just go and pick up a baby and keep them for years without any paperwork… So you're pretty much left up to figuring it all out on your own. You know, where do you go? What do you do?”
While we can’t promise nights of blissful sleep, we can make a promise to each caregiver in our program: you’ll never have to figure it out all on your own. Motherhood Beyond Bars (MBB) reaches out to every caregiver before the baby is born to make sure they have everything they need to safely care for a baby, including a car seat, safe place for the baby to sleep and baby essentials. As soon as they leave the hospital we apply for social services like Medicaid, WIC and SNAP benefits and send them their first shipment of monthly diapers. Caregivers know we’ll answer the phone when they call, even if it’s late or night or on the weekend. While caregivers appreciate all the “stuff” they get from us, they tell us over and over again that it’s the relationship with people who truly care about them that is the single most important part of our program. When you support Motherhood Beyond Bars you support grandmothers (and fathers, and aunts and friends) who are giving infants a healthy start and taking the first critical steps to breaking cycles of incarceration in families.
