born behind bars

8/7/2019 Born behind bars

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18 ISSUE 6 Independent World report


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Independent World report ISSUE 6 19

Born behind barsChildren growing up in a prison in Mexico City.

documentary by Caroline Bennett

DOCUMENTARY/CHILDREN


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Inmate mother cradles six-month-old baby Carlos, whose name and identification number she has tattooed on her neck.


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Baby Carlos is left in his mothers cell, in the care of her cellmate, while she spends the morning working in the prisons food services section. Since his birth,Carlos has not been outside the prison walls.

A prisoner watches the children of other inmates play with their mothers in the Santa Martha prison yard. Her own young children live with theirgrandmother. As her babies were not born into the system, they are not permitted to live in the prison with their incarcerated mother.


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A prisoner plays football with two-year-old Mario in the prison yard.


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Children playing on the grounds and through prison hallways soften the atmosphere and sometimes make Santa Marthafeel more like a school than a high security prison.


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An inmate reveals her pregnant belly while thinking about the future of her child, to be born inside the prison walls.


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Behind the ominous barbed wireand high concrete walls of theSanta Martha Acatitla prisonin Mexico City (one of the roughestin the region), sits a cheerful nurseryschool with colourful walls, a maze of

swings and slides, and a playgroup ofgiggling toddlers. Among the inmatesof this women-only prison, are womenserving sentences for murder, drugdealing, and kidnapping. There arealso fifty or so children, living insidethe prison with their incarceratedmothers.

Across the exercise yard, blue-cladand tattooed mothers tap balloons toplayful tots, argue over pacifiers, andbounce babies on their knees on prison

benches. As many of the children borninto the system have few or no familymembers outside the prison, there isoften little option: stay in the jail withmom, or be cast out to an orphanageor the streets.

While prison may seem anunacceptable place to raise a child,the Mexican government has decidedto allow babies born in Santa Martha

to stay with their mothers until theyturn six, rather than be turned over tofoster homes or unprepared relatives.

I first entered Santa Marthanervous, and a bit frustrated that thegovernment would allow and even

encourage such a habitat for children.Hard-faced guards in black commandogarb mauled hastily through my bagbefore letting me in, then watchedmy every move as we made our waythrough the prisons dank echoinghallways where tough looking womeneyed me up and down with curiosity,suspicion, or both.

Upon reaching a small nurseryschool created within the prisonwalls where I would be allowed

to photograph that first day, Iwas pleasantly surprised. WhileSanta Martha is undeniably a strictcorrectional facility and home toa rough crowd, it became quicklyobvious that someone is trying hardto create a mini world within, for thechildren who call this place home.

Mothers lined up outside, eagerlywaiting to collect their babies, in what

seemed to be the highpoint of the day,laughing and gossiping as if they wereat any other preschool in the freeworld. Inside, seemingly happy tykesbounced joyfully on balls, and cutanimals out of colourful construction

paper to be hung on the school walls.Still, iron gates and menacing guardtowers loom over sand piles andjungle gyms outside the mini oasis,life is that of a high security prison.

A debate continues over whethergrowing up in prison is truly the bestoption, though for now the law stands,and Santa Martha authorities havetaken steps to provide for some senseof a normal world for children growingup inside the prison. Meanwhile,

mothers serving long sentences dreadthe day when their children would betossed out upon turning six, and manystruggle financially to care for themwhile they are inside.

Inside Cellblock H, where an inmate lives with her eighteen-month-old child and a cellmate.

Caroline Bennettis a photographer andmultimedia journalist, www.carolinebennett.com

born behind bars

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