Boy, I tell you,
you'd think they were locking us up,
putting us through all that.
You were a cop. You of all people
ought to know about jail security.
I do, I do.
It just feels funny, that's all.
Being frisked, fingerprinted,
and mug sh*ts.
Now you know what it's like
on the other side.
Yeah, I hate it.
Okay, the initiation's over.
Time to go to work.
You heard the lady.
This is great. I spend my whole life
as a cop, I end up in jail.
Don't mind my friend Mark here.
He's a little nervous.
Yeah, first-day-of-school jitters.
I've been that way my whole life too.
Yeah, but you're the teacher.
Yeah, but we're going into a classroom
filled with strangers and all, you know.
Don't you mean
a classroom filled with prisoners?
Yeah, I do. And I'm a little nervous
about it, Miss Canner.
Call me Melanie.
And, Mark, trust me,
you're gonna do just fine.
These students are receptive.
They're very eager to learn.
How many have you signed up?
Well, only eight so far.
But we'll get more as time goes on.
This is a very exciting day for us.
Yeah, why's that?
I've been a social worker
for eight years.
And I've spent most of that time
trying to make things even
a little better for the women in here.
Getting a high school programme
was not easy,
but it was worth the fight.
Hey, I'm surprised.
I thought most jails offered courses
to help train the inmates
for when they got out.
You were wrong.
Ladies.
Let me introduce your new teachers.
This is Mr. Smith and Mr. Gordon.
- How you doing?
- Okay, men. You're on your own.
Well, go ahead.
All right, ladies.
We all know why we're here.
Well, I'm here for writing bad cheques.
Why are you here?
Your turn.
All right.
Look, I think the best way to start
is for us to get to know each other.
So I'd like each one of you to introduce
yourselves, and if you don't mind,
tell us why you'd like
to get your high school diploma.
We can start right in the front.
I am Maria Rojas, and I would like
to graduate high school
in order to set a good example
for my baby.
That's a very good reason.
When are you due?
Last month.
It could be at any time.
- All right, next.
- Evelyn Walker.
Guess I'm here because I wanna
make something of myself.
I got kids, you know.
I'm not gonna be here forever.
I want a decent job when I get out
so I can take care of my kids, that's all.
Patty Duncan.
I just figure as long as I'm here,
I might as well be learning something.
That's good. Next.
Reba Williams. I got five kids,
and I thought maybe--
Maybe I was to get my diploma,
then maybe they could be proud of me
for something.
You know,
I hated studying in high school.
It's kind of funny,
I'm enjoying this class.
That's because you know
how important it is now.
You're smart.
You know, I know it's real important
to study grammar and all, Mr. Smith,
and I wanna learn to write better,
but will we be studying any literature?
You bet we will.
American authors mostly.
And a little English lit.
- Shakespeare?
- Shakespeare, definitely.
Imagine Lucille Perry
conversant with Shakespeare.
You know, I tried to read that stuff,
but he don't make a bit of sense to me.
But that's what high school's for.
You know, to broaden your horizons,
open new doors.
Open doors. Now, we could definitely
use a little more of that around here.
Here you go, have another milk.
A pregnant lady can't get too much.
That's sweet of you, Mr. Gordon,
but I can get my own.
No, no, no, you stay put, now.
Shouldn't be on your feet too much.
Looks like that baby could make
an appearance at any moment.
You're right about that. Thank you.
- Mind if I ask you a question?
- I don't mind.
How did you get yourself,
you know, in this condition?
You don't know how it happens?
I don't mean how did you get pregnant.
I mean,
didn't you think about your baby
before you committed your crime?
I'm sorry. I had no right.
That's okay.
I made mistakes. I admit it.
But I'm going to make up
for those mistakes.
My baby will not suffer for my sins.
Give me that bowl.
Mr. Inman.
I'd like you to meet
one of our new teachers.
This is Mr. Smith, this is our warden.
Thomas Inman.
Jonathan Smith.
I hope the women here appreciate the
opportunity and take advantage of it.
Oh, I'm sure they will.
They've been doing very well so far.
That's good to hear. Yes, indeed.
Well, would you care to finish your
lunch with me in the staff dining room?
You'd probably be more comfortable.
Actually, I'm very comfortable
right here with my students.
Would you like to join us for lunch?
No, I think not.
Another time, perhaps.
The man is insufferable.
You'd think he was the one
responsible for starting the programme
when I fought him for five years
before he consented.
Why?
Why is he so afraid of change?
It's not just Thomas Inman.
It's the entire penal system.
The system's hardly changed
in the last years.
It's still based on the notion
that society would rather see offenders
punished than rehabilitated.
Now, I want you to read Chapters
and of Using your Dictionary
and do the exercises at the end
of each chapter. Any questions?
- Does neatness count?
- Always.
And when you're done, there's
something else I'd like you to do.
I want you to write an essay.
All right, take it easy, relax.
All I want's a couple of pages.
I just wanna get an idea
of your writing skills.
What do we write about?
Something you know about:
yourselves.
Boring.
Not my life, honey.
I got a bestseller just waiting to be told.
Yeah, well, like I said,
only two pages.
I know it's visiting day, so I'm gonna
dismiss class a little bit early.
I wanna thank you all
for your attention.
Oh, tell me about it.
I can help you.
Mr. Smith,
thanks for letting us go early.
My kids are coming today.
- Have a nice visit, Evelyn.
- Thanks.
That's it. Nice and easy, now, Maria.
That's it.That's it. That's it.
Maria, that's it.
Oh, hi, Mr. Smith.
How you doing, Maria?
Fine.
Mama Eva, this is one of our
new teachers, Mr. Smith.
Well, it's a pleasure to meet you,
Mr. Smith.
High time
we got some teachers in here.
- Eva Haskell.
- Pleasure to meet you, Eva.
Everyone calls her Mama.
She may be chief matron here,
but she is more like a housemother.
So you're going
for natural childbirth?
I'm going to try it.
But I'm not sure how brave I am.
Oh, you'll do fine.
You just listen to your nurse,
because she's the most important
person in that delivery room.
The doctor, he's only the catcher.
Remember that.
Oh, look at the time.
My break was over five minutes ago.
I gotta run, Mr. Smith.
Nice meeting you.
Same here. You take care.
Seems like a nice lady.
I don't know what I would have done
without Mama Eva.
She has taught me everything
about being pregnant.
I was so frightened.
There was so much I didn't know.
- Well, you've seen a doctor?
- Only once.
They will only bring a doctor
if you get very ill.
Wait. You're telling me
you're nine months pregnant
and you've seen a doctor one time?
That is why I'm so grateful
to Mama Eva.
Maria,
what's gonna happen with the baby?
That is not a problem. Really.
My grandmother
is going to take care of him.
She is a wonderful woman.
She raised me after my mother d*ed
when I was a child.
And I only have seven more months
before my parole,
and then I will raise my baby myself.
Excuse me.
I'm looking for Miss Canner.
- I heard she was down here.
- Yeah, she's right inside.
You can go on in
and wait for her if you like.
Thank you.
Oh, hello, Allison.
Allison. Oh, darling. Hello, yes.
Oh, yeah. You're getting so big.
So big.
Hi, sweetheart. Hi.
Hush, little baby, don't you cry
Mama's gonna sing you a lullaby
Hush, little baby, don't say a word
Mama's gonna buy you
A mockingbird
If that mockingbird don't sing
Mama's gonna sing you a lullaby
Allison.
I miss you.
Opens your eyes, doesn't it?
Visiting day is pretty much of a downer
around here.
It's funny though,
these women look forward to it
every single time.
They can't wait to see their kids
and their families.
It's just so hard for them
to say goodbye.
They're usually depressed
for days afterwards.
That's what happens
when you break the law.
You're right, of course.
But the problem is, the kids pay too.
I have tried so hard to get contact
visitation rights for these women.
It breaks my heart to see them
trying to reach to each other
through a glass wall.
Very good reason for that glass wall,
Miss Canner, and you know it.
I was a cop.
I know what people will do
to try to get weapons and dr*gs
into a prison.
They'll even use their own kids
to smuggle them in.
Then search the women afterwards,
if that's a concern.
But for God's sake,
these women need to touch and hold
and caress their children.
And I guess the children need it
most of all.
I miss you. I miss you very much.
I love you. Give me a kiss.
Well?
- Well what?
- How was your first day?
You seemed worried about it
this morning.
No, no, I'm over that.
They're good students.
You know, Melanie was right,
these women really wanna learn.
Well, what's wrong then?
You've hardly said a word.
I saw something today
that really shook me up.
What was it?
I went in the visitation room
to find Melanie.
Boy, it was tough.
Women talking to their children
through a glass wall over a telephone.
I mean, I was a cop, right?
I've been around prisoners all my life.
I figure most of them should be
locked up and throw away the key.
I figure they gave up their rights
when they committed their crime.
Listening to a mother
sing a lullaby to their children...
Boy. Over a telephone.
It just doesn't seem right.
Yeah, well, like you said,
they're criminals, Mark.
Yeah, but isn't prison
punishment enough?
Do we have to dangle their children
in front of them?
Say, "You can look,
but you can't touch"?
I mean, that is cruel
and ought to be stopped.
Yeah? There's the man to talk to.
All right, I will.
Mr. Inman.
Yes, Mr. Gordon,
what can I do for you?
- I'd like to ask you a question.
- Please do.
I'd like to know
why the women in this prison
have to see their children
through a glass wall.
It's a security measure.
Standard policy in most prisons.
Well, then the policy stinks.
Is that your expert opinion?
After all, you've only been here
one day, Gordon.
Hardly enough time to understand
the criminal justice system.
Look, I was a cop for years.
I know the system.
Believe me,
I have seen the lowest of the low.
People who should be locked up
and never see the light of day again.
But a lot of the women in this prison
are mothers.
So we are dealing
with women and children here.
To me that should make a difference
in the way we treat them.
Not to me, it doesn't.
I didn't convict those women.
They committed a crime
and the state says they have to pay.
I'm just here to see they do their time
and that's all.
But the children of these women
are innocent.
And so were their victims.
Look, you may as well know,
I never wanted you men here.
You were forced down my throat
by that pushy social worker.
Well, you're here now.
We'll get along just fine
so long as you do your job
and let me do mine.
"James is almost .
He's the man in the family.
Then there's Robert.
He's just learning to write
and he sends me letters
almost every day.
Joel is my baby.
He's only .
He gets asthma real bad
and it scares me
I can't be there when he's hurting.
I have two beautiful daughters also.
Patricia always wanted
to be a dancer.
She's very talented
and I hope
she can have her dream someday.
Martha is my oldest.
She's ,
as her birthday was only last week.
I haven't seen Martha
since I've been here.
She doesn't write,
but I know that teenagers are busy
and don't have time for such things.
She must be turning
into quite a lady,
and I'm sorry I can't be there
and watch it happen.
But I am still very proud of her
and love her very much.
All in all, we're a loving family,
and we're looking forward to the day
we can all be together again."
Reba, that was very nice.
Thank you.
I think that's
about all we have time for today.
Reba, I'd like to have you
stay after class for a few minutes.
The rest of you are excused.
Reba, are your kids
being well cared for?
Yes, sir.
Best I can tell.
Miss Tucker, my social worker,
looks in on them
and lets me know
how they're getting on.
- Do you ever get to see them?
- Once in a while.
Robert lives the closest.
His foster mother brought him
to see me a few months ago
and Miss Tucker
gets to bring Joel sometimes.
And the others write
and I talk to them on the phone
every now and then.
Why doesn't Martha write?
I hurt her bad, Mr. Smith.
Lord knows, I was only trying
to make life better for my kids
when I stole some money.
I knew it was the wrong thing to do,
but I was real desperate at the time.
But instead of making things better,
I made them a whole lot worse.
And I don't think Martha
will ever forgive me
for tearing apart our family like I did.
She's ashamed
of having her mama in jail.
I know it.
She's been telling her friends
I'm in a hospital instead.
Have you tried calling her?
I try sometimes.
She wouldn't come to the phone.
Mr. Smith,
I thank you for your concern.
But we're gonna manage.
I just got over six months left,
and then
we're gonna be a family again.
Reba's case is typical.
The children of most of these women
live in foster homes all over the state.
There's nobody providing means
for them to travel to visit their mothers.
So if the foster parents of the families
don't see fit to bring them,
they don't come.
Some of these women
don't see their children
the entire time they're in here.
Must make it hard
to keep the family together.
Tell me about it.
And Thanksgiving's coming.
Holidays are really rough.
I mean, you know,
it's hard enough being separated
from your family,
your loved ones any time,
but on holidays...
What happens to these women?
They leave,
try and pick up their lives.
Some of them are successful.
Others have just lost too much.
A lot of them
even lose their children.
What do you mean?
If a woman with a baby is incarcerated,
and she has no relatives to take over,
the baby is put in a foster home.
Foster parents
don't have any incentive
to bring the baby for visits.
So the court often decides
that the baby should remain
with the parents he's bonded with.
It allows them to adopt.
Where does the law say
a crime is punishable
by fine, imprisonment
and the loss of your children?
It doesn't. But it happens every day.
There was this company in England
called the New England Company.
Someone got the bright idea
to send some people over here,
settle down and search for gold.
They settled in Jamestown.
Mr. Gordon, I always thought
people came over here
to practise their religion,
not look for gold.
Good point. Some of them did.
Those were the Puritans.
They came over a little later,
settled in New England
at the Plymouth Colony
in Massachusetts.
Maria?
Mr. Gordon, I think it's time.
Time for what? We just started.
I think she means
it's time to make a baby.
A baby?
A baby.
- Isn't she adorable?
- It's the spitting image of Maria.
Look at that little turned-up nose.
- I tell you, she looks healthy enough.
- Healthy?
You should have heard her bellow
when she came out.
She's got a pair of good,
sturdy lungs in her.
That's because Maria took good care
of herself while she was pregnant.
- She got a name yet?
- Anita.
Maria named her
after her grandmother.
They're real close.
Oh, Melanie, Melanie.
You're just in time.
You gotta look at this.
Well, the star of the show
has kind of nodded off here,
but at least you can take a look.
Boy, she's beautiful.
- How's Maria?
- Oh, Maria's fine.
She came through like a trouper.
Yeah,
sitting on top of the world right now.
I'm afraid
I've got some bad news for her.
Bad news?
Yeah, I--
I called
the Children's Welfare Office
to let them know
that Maria had delivered,
and they told me
that they'd just done a field report
on Maria's grandmother.
The one who's supposed to take care
of the baby until Maria's released.
And?
And they found the woman
to be old and semi-invalid,
and in no condition
to care for an infant.
Well, what are they gonna do?
I only know what the courts
have done in the past.
They're gonna take Maria's baby.
What are you talking about?
They can't do that.
Yes, they can.
It's the court's opinion
that a baby needs a mother.
This baby has a mother.
Maria's her mother.
But Maria is in jail, Mark.
Daddy.
That looks like fun.
Smith, what are you doing here?
Well, my place is close by,
I like to take walks.
Nice-looking family you got.
I only wish
I could spend more time with them.
Seems like I leave for work every day
before my daughter gets up
and she's in bed asleep
when I get home at night.
I'd like to take an afternoon off
once in a while
just so we can be together
as a family.
That's a good idea.
It's important
for families to be together.
You didn't just happen by here, Smith.
You want something. What is it?
Not much.
I want you to approve the reforms
that Melanie Canner has requested
for the last five years.
Oh, is that all?
The woman's a crusader.
She wants the moon.
No, she doesn't.
She wants a children's centre
so mothers can be with their kids.
It's a basic need in people,
Mr. Inman, to hold and love and touch.
Is that too much to ask?
Is it too much to ask
that a boy be able to hug his mother,
or the mother be able
to wipe away a little girl's tear?
Contact visitation
is out of the question.
We want a nursery, so that babies
can be raised in prison
by their mothers.
Keep dreaming.
So that Maria Rojas
can keep her baby.
So that Evelyn Walker and others
can raise and nurture their children
at a time in lives that's so important
to their development.
There is no way.
It just doesn't happen.
You can make it happen.
You're really something,
you know that?
We have experts
who design our penal systems.
You're just a schoolteacher.
What do you know?
It doesn't take an expert to see
what's happening to these children.
Of course, I guess it's a lot easier
just to forget about them.
- Prison is no place for children.
- A child's place is with its mother.
You can separate these prisoners
from society, Mr. Inman,
but you have no right to put a wall
between a mother and a child.
You make it sound like a thr*at,
Smith.
I'm not threatening you, Mr. Inman.
I'm just giving you
something to think about.
I'll let you be with your family.
Mommy, we've got the pony.
That was fun, Daddy.
Can I ride it again?
Sure, honey. All you want.
Who was that man
you were talking to?
No one important.
Operator.
I wanna make a collect call
from Reba Williams.
I want to talk to Martha Williams.
Thank you.
Hello.
Collect call from Reba Williams
for Martha Williams.
Will you accept the charges?
- No.
- Baby, please let me talk to you.
Daddy. Daddy.
Daddy.
Daddy. Daddy.
- What's wrong, baby?
- I'm scared.
I'm here, baby. It's all right.
Sweetheart. What--?
Sweetheart, I'm here. It's all right.
- Sweetheart, I'm here. It's all right.
- Daddy.
- Sweetheart, I'm here. It's all right.
- Daddy. Daddy.
Sweetheart, I'm here. Carrie! Carrie!
- Daddy. Daddy.
- Carrie! Carrie! Carrie!
- Carrie!
- Tom. What is it?
What's the matter?
Nothing.
I'm all right. Just a nightmare, is all.
I'm fine.
Are you sure?
I'm sure. You go back to sleep.
I'm going downstairs
to get some milk.
Like a nightmare, isn't it?
Not being able to hold your child.
Who are you?
Just a teacher.
And you're right. I don't know much
about the penal system.
But I do know
something's very wrong here.
And you're the only one
who can change it.
So by this time,
France and Great Britain
were arguing over who gets what,
and of course a w*r breaks out.
- The French and Indian w*r.
- Right.
- Who won?
- The English.
They took Canada,
all the territory east of the Mississippi
except for New Orleans.
Right again.
Look, why don't you guys
read up on the Stamp Act, okay?
I'll be right back.
Maria,
why don't you join our skull session
over here?
We're about to start
the Revolutionary w*r.
Maria, you're missing a great chance
to get your diploma.
Graduate from high school
by the time you get out of here.
I don't care about that.
It just doesn't matter anymore.
My Anita.
She's yours, Maria.
Forever.
- What happened?
- I wish I knew.
Mr. Inman just called and he said,
"Get the baby, bring her to Maria."
- Can she keep her here?
- Yes.
We're gonna have a prison nursery
for babies under one year.
They can live here
with their mothers.
Miss Canner, my Allison is six months.
Can she come too?
She sure can, and that's not all.
The warden said we can use
the dining hall as a children's centre.
That means from now on,
you can sit and talk to your kids.
You can hold them,
play games with them,
tell secrets,
help them with their homework.
Oh, sure,
they can help me with my homework.
I have been trying for years
to get the simplest reforms
established here
and gotten practically nothing.
And now
he just gives all of this overnight.
It's a miracle.
Yeah.
It's a miracle.
Well, how's it going?
Well, it's not Rembrandt,
but it's bright.
- I think it looks great.
- Yeah, so do I.
Looking great.
Careful on that ladder.
Look, try and make a straight line.
Hey, Reba. Thanksgiving vacation.
You're not gonna spend it
doing homework, are you?
Oh, no, sir.
I'm writing letters to my kids.
None of them are gonna be here
tomorrow, huh?
No, sir. It's Thanksgiving.
All their foster families
got plans for the day.
When's the last time
you were all together?
Not since I've been here.
Birthdays is missed, holidays.
It's gonna be a long time
before we're together, Mr. Gordon.
Scares me to even think about it.
I keep wondering
if we can ever be a family again.
Or are we just gonna be
a houseful of strangers?
God, I'm proud of myself.
Look how beautiful this is.
Well, I'd say about : , Mrs. Elliot.
Yeah.
Well, I'm glad.
Okay,
you tell Joel we'll see him then. Bye.
Well, that's it.
Four out of five anyway.
Maybe we ought to try Martha
one more time.
I don't think there's much use.
She made it pretty clear
she doesn't wanna see her mother.
You can't force
something like this, Mark.
Yeah, I know.
It'd just be so perfect for Reba.
The whole family, you know?
We had our miracle
with Warden Inman.
Anyway, Reba's gonna be thrilled
to see the rest of her kids.
Yeah, I know. You're right.
Reba?
Would you come with me, please?
Is something wrong?
I don't know.
Warden Inman wants to see you.
Do you know what it's about?
He wouldn't say,
but I wouldn't keep him waiting.
- Martha Williams?
- Yes?
I'm Jonathan Smith.
I work with Melanie Canner
at the prison.
What do you want?
I just wanted to ask you one more time
if you wouldn't visit your mother today.
I told the lady no.
I know.
I was hoping you'd reconsider.
Why? Because she's my mother?
No.
No, because she loves you
and misses you.
Well, she should have
thought about that
before she wrecked our family.
Don't you think
you've punished your mother enough?
- I'm not punishing my mother.
- What do you call it?
I call it even.
Look what she did to us.
Your mother made a bad mistake
and nobody knows it
better than she does.
She's paid for it.
Believe me, she's paid.
And I'm glad.
Martha, it's all right
to hate what your mother did.
It's even all right to hate her.
But do you love her?
She ruined everything.
But do you love her?
She deserves everything she gets
for hurting us.
But do you love her?
Answer me.
Do you love your mother?
- Answer me.
- Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Now, let's just hold on a minute.
What do we always do
before a meal?
Our dear and most gracious
heavenly father.
We humbly come before you
on this day of Thanksgiving
to thank you for all that
you have so abundantly provided.
- We thank you for this food.
- Mama.
And we-- Hush, Joel.
Not when I'm talking to the Lord.
- You okay?
- Yeah, I'm fine.
I was just wondering something.
I was wondering how many families
there are on this Thanksgiving
who can't be together.
Yeah.
Wonder how many families
there are out there who are together
and don't realise how lucky they are.