Georgia incarcerates thousands of mothers. Their children pay the price. Over 80% of incarcerated women are mothers to minor children. Separation destroys the mother-child bond essential for healthy development—and Georgia makes maintaining that bond nearly impossible. Phone calls cost up to $1 per minute. Video visits run $12-20 for 20 minutes. Many children travel hours to facilities that lack child-friendly visitation spaces. The result: 70% of children with incarcerated mothers experience emotional or psychological issues. 1
The Scope of the Crisis
Incarcerated mothers face systemic barriers to parenting:
- Over 225,000 women incarcerated nationally—80% are mothers
- Only 9 states offer prison nursery programs allowing mothers to stay with infants
- 24-72 hours — typical separation time after birth in most facilities
- Children are 6x more likely to enter the criminal justice system themselves
Georgia offers no prison nursery program. Mothers give birth in shackles and lose their newborns within days.
Communication Costs
Staying connected requires money most families don’t have:
- Phone calls — Up to $1 per minute in some facilities
- Video visits — $12-20 for 20 minutes
- Email messages — $0.25-$1.25 per message
- Over half of inmates can’t afford commissary items—communication is a luxury
When Connecticut offered free video visits, over 8,000 virtual connections occurred in a single month. Cost is the barrier, not desire.
Impact on Children
Children of incarcerated mothers face measurable harm:
- 70% experience emotional or psychological issues
- 50% show symptoms of PTSD
- 48% more likely to drop out of school
- Girls are 2.5x more likely to experience depression
- Boys are 3x more likely to display aggressive behavior
These aren’t abstract statistics. They’re children growing up without mothers because Georgia prioritizes punishment over families.
Visitation Barriers
Even when families can afford to visit, the system creates obstacles:
- Distance — Many families live hours from the facility housing their loved one
- Security procedures — Pat-downs and metal detectors traumatize children
- Visitation areas — Most lack toys, play spaces, or comfortable seating
- Glass partitions — Some facilities eliminate physical contact entirely
- Limited hours — Visitation windows conflict with work and school schedules
Children who visit in child-friendly environments want to return. Children traumatized by harsh security often refuse to come back.
What Works
Programs that keep families connected reduce recidivism:
- New York’s Bedford Hills nursery — 13% recidivism vs. 29% state average
- Washington’s Residential Parenting Program — Mothers stay with infants up to 30 months
- Parenting Inside Out program — Evidence-based parenting skills training
- Free video visits — Connecticut saw 200% increase in family contact
Georgia knows what works. It refuses to implement these programs.
Take Action
Use Impact Justice AI to send advocacy emails demanding family-centered policies in Georgia prisons. The free tool crafts personalized messages to Georgia lawmakers—no experience required.
Demand:
- Prison nursery programs for incarcerated mothers
- Affordable communication—phone calls, video visits, email
- Child-friendly visitation spaces at all facilities
- Parenting programs proven to reduce recidivism
Further Reading
- The Cost of Communication: Families Paying the Price
- Life on the Line: How Families Bear the Burden of Georgia’s Prison Crisis
- GPS Informational Resources
- Pathways to Success
About Georgia Prisoners’ Speak (GPS)
Georgia Prisoners’ Speak (GPS) is a nonprofit investigative newsroom built in partnership with incarcerated reporters, families, advocates, and data analysts. Operating independently from the Georgia Department of Corrections, GPS documents the truth the state refuses to acknowledge: extreme violence, fatal medical neglect, gang-controlled dorms, collapsed staffing, fraudulent reporting practices, and unconstitutional conditions across Georgia’s prisons.
Through confidential reporting channels, secure communication, evidence verification, public-records requests, legislative research, and professional investigative standards, GPS provides the transparency the system lacks. Our mission is to expose abuses, protect incarcerated people, support families, and push Georgia toward meaningful reform based on human rights, evidence, and public accountability.
Every article is part of a larger fight — to end the silence, reveal the truth, and demand justice.
- GPS Statistics, https://gps.press/gdc-statistics/[↩]