Women are the fastest-growing U.S. prison population today. Eighty percent are mothers of school-age children. Jenifer McShane's absorbing documentary gives human dimensions to these rarely reported statistics, taking us inside Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, a maximum security prison north of New York City. Shot over four years, MOTHERS OF BEDFORD follows five women - of diverse backgrounds and incarcerated for different reasons- in dual struggles to be engaged in their children's lives and become their better selves. It shows how long-term sentences affect mother-child relationships and how Bedford's innovative Children's Center helps women maintain and improve bonds with children and adult relatives awaiting their return. Whether it be parenting's normal frustrations to celebrating a special day, from both inside and out of the prison walls, this moving film provides unprecedented access to a little known, rarely shown, community of women.
3 1/2 stars..."Offering a thought-provoking look at an effective social program, this is recommended."Video Librarian
"Confronts crucial issues facing the American criminal justice system...also demonstrates...the courageous steps toward redemption taken by the MOTHERS OF BEDFORD."John H. Biaggi Human Rights Watch Film Festival
"A compelling documentary that follows five extraordinary women...A deeply moving story about these women, their journey and what it means to be a mother."Hot Docs International Film Festival
"The film encourages children and parents involved in the system to take hold of their own narrative and not deny it or demonize it." Jenny Crawford, LMSW Columbia University School of Social Work
Documentary Films; Race & Class Studies; Law & Criminal Justice
Keywords
African American, Mass Incarceration, Women's Studies, Motherhood, Education, Sociology, Family Relations, Race; "The Mothers of Bedford"; Women Make Movies
Distributor: Women Make Movies
Length: 96 minutes
Date: 2011
Genre: Expository
Language: English
Grade: College, Adults
Color/BW:
Closed Captioning: Available
Existing customers, please log in to view this film.