Prison Lullabies is the remarkable portrait of four women struggling with drug addiction, arrested for dealing and prostitution, and serving prison time with one common bond: they’re all pregnant. Amy, Monique, Joann, and Ann Marie each survived the experience of giving birth behind bars.

For these women—many of who are on intimate terms with sexual abuse, poverty, and addiction—the Taconic Correctional Facility in New York State offers a rare glimmer of hope. One of only five prisons in the US to provide a nursery program for inmates, Taconic allows the women to keep their babies for the first 18 months of life and encourages their participation in a rigorous series of classes ranging from basic child care to anger management and drug counseling.

The film tracks these women and their children as they are released from prison. Each must make life altering choices: whether to find a job and break the cycle of relapse and re-arrest that has led to the loss of her other children, or to resume their life of drugs, abandon their child, and return to the streets. Prison Lullabies provides an illuminating portrait of these women and their struggles as incarcerated parents.

"Nothing detracts from the meat of the documentary which raises any number of questions about recidivism, rehabilitation, abuse, and the underbelly of American society. Overall, this is highly recommended and would be of use in collections supporting criminal justice, social work and women's studies."
‒Michelle L. Zafron, Health Sciences Library, University of Buffalo for Educational Media Reviews Online

Prisoner's Justice Film Festival, 2006
Riverrun International Film Festival, 2005
Women in the Director's Chair, 2004
Tiburon Film Festival, 2004
Women's Film Festival of Creteil, 2004
St. Louis International Film Festival, 2003
Jury Award, Annapolis International Film Festival
St. John's International Film and Video Festival, 2003
Best Documentary, Annapolis Film Festival, 2003
Milwaukee International Film Festival, 2003
Westchester Film Festival, NY, 2003
Athens International Film and Video Festival (Ten Best Documentaries), 2003
United Nations Association Film Festival, 2003