I plead guilty! Yours truly recalls the day when he, too, discovered there were women in prison. And some of them had kids! And that meant mothers behind bars -- on Mother's Day! (Frankly, I'm surprised I could only find two Gannett papers heaving that holiday chestnut into print today. Don't worry: Father's Day is June 15.)
The News Journal, Wilmington, Del.
- Story: Bonding behind bars
- Mom: Lashawnda Jones, 29, a bank robber serving six years, has been locked up since before son Elijah was born.
- Home sweet home: Baylor Women's Correctional Institution, New Castle, Del.
- Obligatory cognitive dissonance: The clank of the metal door didn't frighten 3-year-old Elijah.
- Quotable mom: "Give me the money or I'll shoot you."
The Burlington (Vt.) Free Press
- Story: Missing mothers
- Mom: Patience Francis, 31, sold two hunting rifles to a federal agent for $160. Previous legal run-ins included an arrest for repeatedly stealing from a grocery store, plus a DUI. She has at least three kids.
- Home sweet home: Dale Women's Facility, Waterbury, Vt.
- Obligatory cognitive dissonance: Save for the high brick walls and concertina wire, Saturday’s tea party was perfect.
- Quotable mom: "Nobody told me I was special."
[Images: Susan Hayward, in 1958's I Want to Live!]
Might be interesting to mention what some other Gannett papers did with their Mother's Day stories. Must be some good angles out there.
ReplyDelete@3:53 p.m. Anytime anyonewants to point me to some of the great work we all know gets done daily across Gannett, LET ME KNOW! (Please.) How else will I have a chance to showcase it on Gannett Blog?
ReplyDeleteFor good taste, it's hard to match The Courier-Journal, which had a story on what a great job the HBO series "Big Love" does with that ever-popular Mother's Day topic: polygamy. Here's a link:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080511/FEATURES07/805110319