The number of women sentenced to prison is increasing in Nebraska and around the nation. Last year one of Nebraska's most gruesome crimes was carried out by a woman. Kimberly Faust brutally murdered two people and is now sentenced to life in prison.

But what happens to their children when mothers are locked-up?

Many inmates leave their children behind while they serve time. Some will return to their families after prison, others will never get out. But those mother-child relationships are able to continue in Nebraska, even behind bars. Every week at the Nebraska Correctional Center for Women in York, mothers spend quality time with their children in a special facility equipped with games, toys and movies. York as one of the first prisons to allow children to stay overnight with their mothers. The program started in 1974.

Nebraska was also ahead of the curve with its nursery program. Inmates are allowed to live with their newborn babies for up to a year and a half. The goal is for the mother and child to leave prison at the same time. "Statewide's" Andrea Gallagher goes inside this program.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: • Nebraska Correctional Services http://www.corrections.state.ne.us/

CLICK HERE for Nebraska Public Radio coverage of the issue.

VIDEOS

Watch the Perspective story here:
RealPlayer | QuickTime

Mary Alley, parenting coordinator at the Nebraska Correctional Center for Women in York, talks about overnight visits.
RealPlayer | QuickTime

Mary Alley talks about kids seeing their mothers clean and sober for the first time.
RealPlayer | QuickTime

Shannalee Acosta, a prison mom who is serving time for selling and using meth, talks about how she has learned a hard lesson.
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TRANSCRIPT - Prison Moms

Reported by Statewide correspondent, Andrea Gallagher

Twenty-five year old Rose Nolin feeds her ten-month-old baby. New mom Shannalee Acosta rocks her five-month-old twins. While Justine Stovall plays with her new infant Desiree. What do all these women have in common? They're all mothers and they're also inmates of the state women's prison in York, Nebraska.
Rose is serving time for numerous offenses - theft, forgery, assault and child neglect. Shannalee was busted for using and selling methamphetamine. And Justine is locked up for assault charges.
[Justine Stovall] "I am not a bad mom; just because of things I've done doesn't mean I'm a bad mom. I've worked very hard to have children my whole life. That's all I've dreamed of."
Shannalee and Justine entered the prison while they were both pregnant. And both them get to keep their babies here at the prison for up to eighteen months. Ideally, mother and child will go home at the same time - but there are no guarantees. Nebraska is the second women's prison in the nation to have a parenting program like this.
[Shannalee Acosta] I got myself here; I put myself here you know. And I think that this was a good opportunity for me. Very good opportunity, a good experience you know, to be closer to my kids and it's also making me closer to my babies at home too."
[Stovall] "It's really strange to wake up every morning knowing that I'm in prison and looking over and seeing my baby every morning. It makes me feel very grateful."
[Mary Alley] "She is, after all, going to be the take care of them and went them to get off on the best start possible. Again, it's a wonderful motivation for her to do the things she needs to do here for good behavior."
Mary Alley runs the prison's parenting program. She makes sure everyone involved follows the rules. It's not usually a problem, because mothers don't want to jeopardize the time they have with their children.
[Alley] "This program has been here for a long time without incident because we… and it's not because of luck, it's because we work hard at the security issues and you know, we're going to take care of these kids."
There's room for eight mothers to live with their babies at a time. But it's not that simple. A prisoner serving a long sentence can't keep her baby in prison. The mother must be eligible for release by the time the baby is eighteen months old. Justine is in for 3-9 years, but she's eligible for parole next year.
[Stovall] "It was very difficult because they told me I wasn't going to be able to keep her in the nursery because of my crime and because the time that I have. I have a 3-9 year sentence. And the day after she was born a lady came in and asked me if I was still interested, almost the happiest day of my life. The happiest of course was the day she was born."
This is what a typical room looks like in the nursery… a bed, a crib and some toys - most of those are donated. The only time the mother is not with the child is when she's working. Another inmate cares for the baby when the mother is at work.
[Gina Kepler] "When I'm stressed out I like to be up in the nursery because when I hold the babies it takes all that stress away. Because we have a lot of hard days here, and when I come up here and hold Luis it just makes it all better."
Other mothers can also spend time with their children. Rose doesn't live here with her baby but she does spend one day a week with her.
[Rose Nolin] "Every Thursday Nicola comes, and then about once a month I have one of my other children come stay with me about five days. And that's up in the nursery and that's real good."
On Thursdays, inmates with good prison records can invite their kids to spend the day. The kids hang out with mom playing games, watching movies and just catching up on lost time. The idea is to keep the mother-child bond strong, even when the mother is behind bars.
[Nolin] "With me it's very important. I love my children to death. And by them being able to come up here and spend time with me they still, you know, know who their mom is and give them the love and care that they need."
[Alley] "This may be the first that they really understand the impact on their children of them being in prison. When they leave, or just having them here, the children are so happy to see them. They need their mom."
In addition to weekly visits, inmates also have an opportunity to host overnight stays with their children - up to five nights a month. It may see shocking, but administrators say they try to make it as normal as possible. The kids stay in the nursery with their mothers - not in their cells. And for the most part they stay away from the general population.
[Alley] "It's sad to say, but this may be one of the first times in a very long time that they've seen their mother clean and sober - and herself."
During prison stays, the kids get to eat lunch with their moms - something they used to take for granted is now a privilege.
[Alley] "It's a nice atmosphere that doesn't make you feel like you're in a prison, however ask any one of them, they are, they know."
This is the first time Heather Shatto has seen her two boys in this kind of setting. She says this environment is much more comfortable for the kids than a traditional prison setting.
[Heather Shatto] "When they first came to see me they were real standoffish, and I don't know how to say it but they were not as open as they're being now. When they came to visit me I didn't feel like they were going to welcome me back home. But now having this visit, I see that things are going to be okay when I get home."
The two boys, Jordan and Blake, are just happy to see their mom.
[Heather's son] "'Cause I've never seen her in a long time."
[Shatto] "I want to have a good relationship with my kids and I hope that they're willing to forgive me for the things that I've done."
[Alley] "It may be the first realization that, geez, I really screwed up. It can be their motivation of really trying to get their act together."
Thirty-five year old Goldie Fisher helps out in the Parenting Program. She's had other jobs in the prison, but ranks this one higher than the rest.
[Goldie Fisher] "I enjoy the work, you know, there's not too many jobs here that you enjoy doing."
Goldie was convicted in 1988 for accessory to a murder in Lincoln. A drug deal gone bad. Her release date is set for 2007 but parole could come at any time. She won't forget her time here - watching relationships grow.
[Fisher] "I enjoy playing with the kids and getting to know them and stuff. I've known a lot of kids that's been coming up here and I feel like I have a bond with other kids too."
It's not all fun and games. Some prison moms will never see their kids again.
[Alley] "This is also the scene of terminations, goodbye visits, that kind of thing, which obviously isn't my favorite thing to do. But it gives them the opportunity to have some time together and to say goodbye."
At the end of the day Rose Nolin heads back to her prison cell. She shares it with two other inmates. Even though her children are back home, photos remind her of the life she wants back.
[Nolin] "This is my oldest daughter, Alexandria. She's five years old. This is my daughter Nicola. She's ten months old and she comes up to visit me every Thursday. This is my two-year-old son. He'll be two years old next month and these are the pictures where he's come up… he's come up for parenting. We've got pictures of the… And I just love them all here at night; it's like they're with me. It helps."
Serving time in prison is a tough lesson, but some of these inmates have reasons to become clean and sober. They want to make a difference in the lives of their children.
[Inmate] "If you really want to keep them together, keep your nose clean and don't pick the lifestyle I chose."