Mothers at the Women’s Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Vandalia now have the option of living side by side with their newborns, thanks to a newly remodeled wing of the prison.

VANDALIA, Mo. — Kathy Briggs slipped her arms through the thick straps of a brand-new baby carrier, tugging it over her beige shirt as two other women stood beside her, tightening buckles and ...

Over half of all women in U.S. prisons are mothers, as are 80% of women in jails, including many who are incarcerated awaiting trial simply because they can’t afford bail. It is estimated that up to 2 ...

An inmate who asked not to be identified is housed at the Ohio Reformatory for Women along with her 22-month-old son. Marysville has the state’s only prison nursery program allowing the babies of ...

VANDALIA, Missouri (KSHB) -- A baby boom at the Missouri Department of Corrections' women's prison in Vandalia, Missouri, has brought new hope to incarcerated mothers, with 16 babies born in 2025 to ...

Prison nursery programs remain rare nationwide, but eight facilities in as many states have opened them amid dramatic growth in the number of incarcerated women. The bold experiment in punishment and ...