Babies Behind Bars: New York Prison Allows Infants To Reside With Inmate Mothers

BEDFORD HILLS, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- A prison in Westchester County is one of just a few in the country that allow babies to live behind bars.

The infants reside with their convicted mothers who were pregnant when they got locked up.

As CBS2's Cindy Hsu reported, Jennifer Dumas spends a lot of time with her 6-month-old daughter Codylynn.

They both live at the maximum security Bedford Hills Correctional Facility For Women.

"I was like what? A nursery in jail? Are you serious?" Dumas said.

The prison has one of eight prison nurseries in the U.S. where convicted mothers can stay with their babies.

Dumas was three weeks pregnant when she was arrested for trying to steal a safe packed with cash and jewelry.

Now, between work and chores, she spends time with Codylynn.

At Bedford, inmates are allowed to spend up to 18 months of their sentence in the nursery unit.

Since the 1980s the number of women in prison has grown more than 700 percent and an estimated 1 in 25 women are pregnant when they enter prison, according to the non-profit 'Sentencing Project.'

Not all corrections experts support raising babies behind bars. They argue that prison should be for punishment, and what's best for the baby should be the focus.

Researcher Mary Brynes spent years studying mothers and children at Bedford's nursery, and found that it allows crucial bonding.

"At the end of their prison nursery time, they were able to pass on to the majority of the children a sense of security," Byrnes said.

She believes there should be better community service alternatives for pregnant women to begin with.

After serving 2-years at Bedford for drug trafficking, Stephanie Reis now lives and works at a non-profit called Hour Children with her son Major. She's about to attend Hunter College to be a social worker.

"He's what really keeps me going. I just want to give him a life that I never had and break this cycle," Reis said.

That's what most mothers want, a better life for their child.

In most prisons in the U.S. babies born behind bars must be given up to a relative or foster care withing a day. Nearly 100 countries including France and South Sudan have national laws allowing incarcerated mothers to stay with their babies. The U.S. is not among them.