Original subtitles

[opening theme music playing]

Boy, I tell you, you'd think they were locking us up, putting us through all that.

Mark, 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, mug shots.

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.

[buzzing]

This is great.

I spend my whole life as a cop,

I end up in jail.

Now, don't mind my friend Mark here.

He's a little nervous.

Oh.

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.

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.

[Mark] Yeah? Why is 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 program 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.

[indistinct chatter]

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.

Okay, ladies, we all know why we're here.

Well, I'm here for writing bad checks.

Why are you here?

[giggling]

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, Maria?

Last month.

[all laugh]

It could be at any time.

All right. Next.

Evelyn Walker.

Guess I'm here 'cause I want to

make something of myself.

I got kids, you know.

I'm not going to 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 figured, as long as I'm here,

I might as well be learning something.

[Jonathan] That's good. Next.

Oh, Reba Williams.

I got five kids,

and I thought maybe...

Maybe I ought to get my diploma,

then maybe they could be proud of me for something.

[clamoring]

You know, I hated studying in high school.

It's kinda funny I'm really enjoying this class.

Well, that's because you know how important it is now, you're smarter.

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?

Oh, you bet we will.

American authors mostly

and a little English lit.

-Shakespeare? -Oh, Shakespeare definitely.

Oh, boy, you can 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.

[all laugh]

But that's what high school's for, Lucille.

You know, to broaden your horizons, open new doors.

Open doors, now we could definitely use a little more of that around here.

[all laugh]

Here you go. Have another milk.

A pregnant lady can't get too much.

Oh, that's very sweet of you, Mr. Gordon,

but I can get my own.

No, no, no. You stay put now.

You shouldn't be on your feet too much.

In fact, that baby could make an appearance at any moment.

[chuckles] 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.

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 we're affording them

and take advantage of it.

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 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?

Um...

No.

I think not.

Another time, perhaps.

The man is insufferable.

You'd think he was the one who was responsible for starting

this high school program,

when I fought him for five years before he consented.

Why? Why is he so afraid of change?

Oh, it's not just Thomas Inman.

It's the entire penal system.

The system's hardly changed in the last 200 years.

It's still based on the notion

that society would rather see

offenders punished than rehabilitated.

[Jonathan] All right, now, I want you to read chapters one and two

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 with that, there's something else I'd like you to do.

I want you to write an essay.

-[all] Aw... -All right. Take it easy, relax.

All I want is a couple of pages.

I just want to get an idea of your writing skills.

What do we write about?

Stuff you know about, yourselves.

Boring.

Not my life, honey.

I got a best-seller just waiting to be told.

Yeah, well, like I said, only two pages.

All right, I know it's visiting day,

so I'm gonna dismiss the class a little bit early.

I want to thank you all for your attention.

[woman 1] Oh, tell me about it.

[woman 2] I can help you.

Mr. Smith, thanks for letting us go early.

My kids are coming today.

Have a nice visit, Evelyn.

Thanks.

[Eva] That's it.

Nice and easy now, Maria.

That's it.

That's it.

That's it, Maria.

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. -[Jonathan chuckles]

You just listen to your nurse.

'Cause she's the most important person in that delivery room.

The doctor, he's only the catcher.

-Remember that. -[all laugh]

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've 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, have you seen a doctor?

Only once. They will only bring a doctor if you get very ill.

Wait a minute, 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 going to happen with your 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 died when I was a child.

And I only have seven more months before my parole.

Then I will raise my baby myself.

Excuse me, I'm looking for Miss Canner, she was down here.

Yeah, she is right inside.

You can go on in and wait for her if you like.

Thank you.

[woman] Oh, hello, Allison.

Allison.

Oh, darling.

Hello. Yes.

Oh, yes, 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 gonna sing you A lul... ♪

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,

their families.

It's just so damn 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 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 would do

to try to get weapons or drugs into a prison.

They'll even use their own kids to smuggle them in.

Fine, then search the women afterwards,

if that's the 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.

[kisses]

[buzzing]

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 want to 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 to 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 figured most of them should be locked up and throw away the key.

I mean, I figured they gave up their rights when they committed their crime.

Listening to a mother sing a lullaby to their children...

Boy, over a telephone.

Doesn't seem right.

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, "Hey, 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.

[sighs]

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?

[sighs]

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.

Hey, look, I was a cop for 20 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.

Seems 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 12.

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 six.

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 14 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 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 going to manage.

I just got over six months left,

and then we're going to be a family again.

[indistinct chatter]

Reba's case is typical.

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.

Jonathan, some women don't see their children

the entire time they're in here.

Must make it pretty hard to keep a 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, anytime,

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's put in a foster home.

Well, 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 it'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 over in England,

it's called the New England Company.

Someone got the bright idea to send some people over here

to settle down and search for gold.

They settled in Jamestown.

Mr. Gordon, I always thought people came over here

to practice their religion, not look for gold.

Good point. Some of them did.

Those were the Puritans.

They came over a little later, and settled in New England,

at the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts.

Maria?

Mr. Gordon, I think it's time.

Time for what? We just got 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 real 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 got to look at this.

Well, of course, the star of the show has kinda nodded off

here, but at least you can take a look.

Oh, boy, she's beautiful.

How's Maria?

Oh, Maria's fine.

She came through like a trooper.

Yeah, sitting on top of the world right now.

I'm afraid I've got some bad news for her.

Bad news?

Yeah. I, uh...

I called the children's welfare office this afternoon

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 care for 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 going to 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.

[inaudible]

[fair music playing]

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 there.

I only wish I could spend more time with them.

Seems like I leave for work everyday before my daughter gets up.

And she's in bed asleep when I get home at night.

I 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?

Oh, not much.

I want you to approve the reforms

that Melanie Canner's 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 center

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 their 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 school teacher, what do you know about it?

Oh, 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 threat, 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.

[girl] Mommy, where's my little 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.

[woman on phone] Operator.

I want to make a collect call

from Reba Williams.

I want to talk to Martha Williams.

Thank you.

[Martha] Hello.

[woman] Collect call from Reba Williams for Martha Williams.

Will you accept the charges?

[Martha] No.

Baby, please, let me talk to you.

[phone clicks]

[Carrie] 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!

[thumping]

Sweetheart, I'm here. It's all right!

Daddy!

Sweetheart, I'm here!

Carrie!

Carrie!

Daddy!

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 argue over who gets what.

And of course, a war breaks out.

-The French and Indian war. -Right.

-Who won? -The English.

They took, uh... 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 War.

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.

[door opens]

My Anita.

She's yours, Maria...

Forever.

[applauding and cheering]

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 all 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 that we can use the dining hall

as a children's center.

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 homework.

Oh, sure, they can help me with my homework.

[giggling]

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.

Doing great.

[woman 1] Careful on that ladder.

[woman 2 exclaiming]

Look, try and make a straight line.

Hey, Reba.

Thanksgiving vacation.

You're not gonna spend it doing your 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 we've missed...

Holidays...

It's gonna be a long time before we're together, Mr. Gordon.

It 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?

[woman] God, I'm proud of myself. Look how beautiful this is.

Well, I'd say about 11 o'clock, 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 want to 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 going to be thrilled

to see the rest of her kids.

Yeah, I know.

You're right.

[upbeat music playing]

[inaudible]

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.

[knocking]

[crying]

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've 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.

You know, 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!

[cries] Yes!

Yes.

[clamoring]

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.

Are you okay?

Yeah, I'm fine.

I was just wondering something.

I was wondering how many families that are out there

on this Thanksgiving who can't be together?

Yeah...

Wonder how many families there are out there who are together

and don't realize how lucky they are?

[theme music playing]