That last scene where they're all holding her and showing the most human kindness to their fellow mate, just breaks me. 😢

FRONTLINE > Netflix

It really broke my heart, I suffer from two disorders, bipolar mood disorder from 19,and parkinson from 39 ,I am now 47. I lost many opportunities, I was very smart , with very good grades in high school. Now I am single,unemployed, but not alone ,having a very very supportive family from the beginning. But I realized that there are people who are really helpless and alone. I realized for the first time I am not the most unfortunate person. And it is not just a soothing slogan to hear there are really people much more unfortunate than you. Thanks Frontline!

This system is cruel. Change it now.

Sad why are so many women in prison for minor drug crimes and theft. Oh I forgot! Prison is a growing private business in the US. Congrats

My lil sister just arrived yesterday to serve her 2yr sentence. I am praying everyday passes with no incidents and she is able to do her time and come home to be with her family her children and her grandkids

Excellent documentary short from Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Elaine McMillion Sheldon. It's heartbreaking to see these mothers get separated from their newborns in less than 24 hours.

ADDICTS ARE NOT CRIMINALS!! THERE ARE CRIMINALS WHO ARE ADDICTS BUT just cause someone is addicted to drugs doesn't in them make them a criminal

Extremely hard to watch and extremely important. It has been this way in the USA for decades. I contributed to the research of a report published in 1999 documenting the shackling of pregnant and labouring women in custody in the USA, as well as poor health provision, sexual abuse by prison staff and the isolation of women in high security (Not Part of My Sentence). The human rights violations that occur within the US criminal justice system are a travesty that the world continues to turn a blind eye to.

There’s a special place in Hell for those who criminalize drug addiction. The women are victims of a cycle of addiction and abuse and there are medical and therapeutic interventions that can save lives! A counselor telling these broken souls living in poverty to “find better ways to entertain themselves” is NOT the answer!

What a needless bureaucracy,,,these ladies should be on house arrest with a treatment officer visiting them each day..you don't need to waste all that taxpayer money.

There is a real problem in this country regarding mental health and substance abuse care. There is a real lack of resources for victims of domestic abuse. These women deserves love and support and help. They have never known self love. They have never known self worth. Throwing them away and locking up the key is no solution. I do admire what this prison has done to implement these resources for pregnant women, I really do. Not once, however, did I hear anything about the mother themselves being worthy of love, hope and change. These women need to know that they aren’t just being treated special because they are cranking out a baby. They are only being treated well until they aren’t pregnant anymore. The women in this video should be treated well because they are humans worthy of love, not because they are carrying a baby. In my humble opinion, this is another example of conditional love. We are caring about you because you have a baby inside you. We are treating you special because you are pregnant. We only love you until the baby is out of you. Once you give birth, you don’t get special treatment anymore. That screams, we only love you when you have something to offer or a purpose to serve. The problem starts long before these women were old enough to make their own decisions. Mental health and substance abuse in this country are just dispicable. Private prison for profit is where you go if you are poor in America and have the obstacles. These women have been shit on all their lives. They have never been given the opportunity to be anything other than drug addicts and prisoners and someone’s toy to abuse.

Unlike other countries prison in America is another capitalistic business private business and that's why people are thrown in jail for small things.. because it's profitable to do so..

You ladies deserve a chance to bond with your babies - I know abuse and how it affects for the rest of life - I could cry seeing your sadness - I know how hard it is to rise above shame guilt and fear - and to love myself and manage the scars

I managed to keep myself together almost to the end but what finally got me was seeing so many women come and comfort Elijah's mom when she got back. I could almost hear her pain. If you've ever seen the film about Chess Records and Muddy Waters and his crew there's the scene when the harmonica player dies. When Muddy finally goes up to the bathroom and closes the door there then comes a wail like nothing I've ever heard. It is true pain, true friendship, true love that comes from the deepest places within Muddy Waters' soul. Even his pain can't come close to the pain of a woman whose child has been forcibly taken from her at birth.

That little baby by himself in the car seat without his Momma, that broke me :'(

My mind is blown and I can't unhear or unsee this video my sister isn't pregnant but this prison does have a horrible reputation and it's so scary. All we can do is pray it's over quickly and she's home safely. 🙏🙏🙏🙏

It's great to see these women open up talk. Sharing feelings and experiences helps lighten the burden.

Frontline holding it down during quarentine

Now I have the Frontline theme song stuck in my head, in anticipation.

Why on earth would you take a mother away from a newborn so soon? That is so counterintuitive. Whoever decided 24 hours is enough is a criminal.

well dont let criminals have babies, its like a free ticket for better jail life.

I started watching this to see if I'd see anyone I recognized. (I ran with the "wrong crowd" for a long time, and I live in Southern Alabama, so I know a few women in tuttwiler). But the content was so captivating that I forgot to even look. I was full on bawling by the end. This is so unfair to everyone, the mom, the child, the jail (moms are depressed, depression leads to more problems for the staff, ect), the state (foster care is already overwhelmed), literally everyone involved except those at the very top who's pockets are getting fatter. As a mother of 2, I cannot imagine being ripped away from my child 24 hours after birth. That is literally insane in my mind. Not to mention the medical consequences for both mother and baby. I know I was in the hospital a full 72 hours with each birth, and even then I had trouble walking more than a short distance by myself. I can't imagine being forced back into the rules and structure of prison, where you're only allowed x amount of pads a day, no breastpada if you leak, you leak, no Tylenol or ibuprofen to take the edge off, no heating pad, or ice pack, or cabbage leaves. The risk of infection has got to be absolutely insanely high. Can you imagine giving birth, getting stitched up, and then 24 hours later forced to shower in the same shower that a thousand other women shower in dairy, that isn't cleaned with any proper sanitization? I'm surprised any of them stay healthy. That to me just screams infection, which of course the staff ignores until it's almost too late, which quite probably caused long term problems. The whole thing is absolutely insane. We HAVE to do better America. This IS NOT the way it should be done. This does nothing but cause problems and long-term issues for everyone. This is going to eat at me for days. How can I as an individual help? What can I do to change this? This HAS TO STOP. And not just this, but we're incarcerating broken, damaged people, not criminals. They need help, not prison. We as a society HAVE to do better!

Such a great film. I recommend people watch Elaine McMillon Sheldon’s other work like heroin(e) and recovery boys. Such good films following similar the lives of those caught in the opioid epidemic. Really inspiring stories

Another demonstration of the damage that single parenthood is doing to this country.

Heartbreaking 😞. The strength it must take to endure a living hell. AND... these preconceived notions of women subjugating women by making them have the babies is archaic.

Sorry Frontline, gonna take a knee on this one. Can’t do it, too sad. I can’t go there now, today, this week, this month, THIS YEAR. I’ll watch the next one twice.

The rules and laws and treatment these women receive are inhumane. Work on recovery, rehabilitation, mental health is much more needed than bars and chains.

The part where she’s walking, a day after giving birth…Makes me want to cry.

This whole documentary broke my heart.

I GUARANTEE if they werent locked up those babies would never taste breast milk.

I live right down the way from this prison. Half or more of these inmates should never have been incarcerated to begin with. Prosecution of victimless crimes needs to stop, and sadly its the very religion that many of these ladies follow that is the original lever advocating prosecution.

24 hours with newborn is too short. Give them at least a month.

I know prison officials mean well. But not like this.

This is so sad we should work to help them

That moment when you see your older sister at the 16:40-16:46 mark sitting at the table.

My mom was there while pregnant and had me in 12-26-1985 and she did 4 more years after I was born and the cycle did not continue ❤ but it's my first memory seeing my mom in prison and i have life long trauma and issues from it 💔 i recognize some of these women from my county to

I just can't imagine... I hope the program is not canceled for the women.

Heartbreaking........I can't even imagine it.

This had me in tears...

The way there were so many people around that baby the day it came home tho 😭 No thank you😭

I feel like all these babies are mine because I'm a tax payer 😂

Are the men that got these women pregnant getting the help they need as well?

Frontline 👍

Every child born here will be incarcerated in 15 years. No worries though, they’ll keep cranking out the cute little babies.

The child is ALMOST ALWAYS best with their birth mother..THIS IS AN AWESOME PROGRAM!

My mother and aunt was here . I remember visits

I live in alabama.probably 45 min from this prison.i never knew it was the worst in the united states

That moment when you find out that Russia has a way better prison system for mother-child than in the US. SAD!!😔

And people think Alabama is sweet🤣🤣

End.... soul crushing 32min

36 looks 56 from drugs

Premiers in 20 hours? Well, alright! First comment.

This video is sad and disturbing. I feel sorry for these women getting their babies tooken away from them.

Don't be scared

How old is the first lady??

Let’s check hair and fingernails. That’s really important. 😒

Of course it's going to be a cycle . No pro choice in that state, So out of prison into poverty ,raising kids in poverty so one day you can go back to prison to visit them .

All LIPSERVICE. On the way home from prison they are making a pit stop.

I thought they kept there babies in prison?

I was in prison with these women. In that dorm. I was not pregnant though. They had to have able body women to help out with things them and the elderly couldn’t do. But anyways I know every woman on her and they are amazing beautiful inside and out women. I believe they are all home and doing good with there babies now. I keep in touch with Misty all the she was a good friend of mine I am so glad I finally got to see this

What happened to the babies?

Misty is 36...but she looks like 50...Is that what prison does to you?

With their babies for 6-12 months & then have to give them up? Oh no.

and we have to pay for it

Throwing pregnant women in prison, does it get any lower than that? I'm talking for getting caught with drugs? I don't understand why they couldn't make them just attend drug meetings. 😒 😳

Read Corrupt Officer's Guide to Love based on a love affair at Tutwiler's prison.

So no family and another baby to a shelter or foster parents or adoption agency. Seen them left and right sign away their babies, have to earn them back later and that was Texas. Seen them be told they have family that has died and not get to go to the funeral and on and on. They don’t get to see them when they sign away parental rights in prison. It’s at a desk, just them and paperwork. Had a girl file on sexual (not unusual) advances from guards from point A to point B while shackled on ankles and wrist cuffs.

Well,Alrighty then!2nd to comment,lol! Xlnt Program as Alway's,wait... I haven't seen it yet but that's OK,There are No Bad Frontline Programs,Ever!

3% of the world's population 25% of the world's prisoners the land of the free where keeping people incarcerated is profitable.

Does anyone know who or what is tutwiler ?

The reason why you have to three generations is the first one goes to jail when she comes out people don't give her a chance Society is on the forgiving so they go back into crime they have a kids that kids grow up and now they going to crime and so on.. do I feel sorry for them not to really because they had a choice to begin with.

It made me so angry hearing that these women were kept from their children for using drugs, sometimes only marijuana possession.

Thats where we tell little girls they gonna go if they act bad

system gotta do better or the next generation will contiunue the cycle fr fr mark my word 20 years from now

plz be Will Lyman plz be Will Lyman !!!!

5% of Worlds Population.. USA 25% of Worlds Prisoner's.. USA All da best righteous people..

Is Misty out of prison now?

What! This is inmate control. No men jail does what these women prison does. Checking nails and hair, etc.. nah mehn. This is not normal but control.

These people tell the world how run their countries... comedy

Soo....END INCARCERATION?!?!? Duh.

11:57 bruh straight fell out zzZzZZ

Conveniently not mention what they're in prison for. I bet it's not just petty drug use, probably something bad

Me watching trying to see if a woman I went to high school with is in here 👀

In

SHUT DOWN TUTWILER

I have empathy only for victims...can find myself feeling bad because they are in jail for murder

SHAME on American goverment, but American government all abt money and prison business also money, American government dont care abt human , SHAME ON , American president

I had my baby in 2019 at tutwiler! Not fun at all

Even when you are not behind bars you still have drugs everywhere, you have to say no. That is your responsibility not someone else. Are any of you thankful for everything that the tax payers, that said no to drugs and crime, are doing for you

Do any of you know what it cost to have a baby. Sorry, no sympathy here. My family and children are more important to me than crime and drugs.

yall are actually sending women to prison for breaking their own property. why wouldnt it be overcrowded?

what got yall pregnant?