The Reentry Project. When the Bough Breaks
When the Bough Breaks explores the emotional impact on children whose
mothers are imprisoned for non-violent crimes, particularly drug-related
prostitution and theft. The children's day-to-day lives give a clear picture
of how the American justice system perpetuates the very problems it seeks
to prevent. Three Missouri families tell their stories as the children are
bounced among social workers, foster parents, grandparents, and visits with
their mothers in prison. This intimate documentary reveals how entire families
are punished when mothers are imprisoned. These youngsters are often left
in the custody of extended family members, where their needs are misunderstood,
where poverty prevails, and where they suffer emotional neglect and abuse.
With prison populations quadrupling and more than a quarter million children
left behind, responsibilities confronting our society become real through
their young, articulate voices. A presentation of the Independent Television
Service, the film was produced by Jill Evans Petzall and directed by Deeds
Rogers.
