ObGyn Reacts: She Had A Baby in PRISON? |
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- Опубліковано 23 тра 2021
- As an ObGyn I see patients who are pregnant or having gynecologic issues while in prison all the time. You have been asking me to react to Jessica's story for a long time and I'm happy I finally did. This is such a great look into the reality of being pregnant and giving birth as an inmate. Jessica is an inspiring person and this video is worth a watch.
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Original Video: • I Had A Baby In Pr*son
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** The information in this video is intended to serve as educational information and is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. All content, including text, graphics, images, and information, contained in this video is for general information purposes only and does not replace a consultation with your own doctor/advanced practice provider. **
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Ty so much for sharing my story 💚🙏
Oh my gosh hi I love your videos
Omg what a dream crossover 😍 two brilliantly intelligent and inspirational women 👏❤
Ahhhh I was just watching your YT videos yesterday!
hi
Thank YOU for sharing your story. ♥️
There is an inmate who just won a lawsuit this week. She went into labor at 26-28 weeks and they waited so long to take her to the hospital. The guards even stopped and got Starbucks on the way. She lost the baby. It’s sad how these women are treated no matter what position they are in
Fucking STARBUCKS!?!? What. The. Fuck. Those “officers” deserve their badge as much as a child in preschool would. Expect preschoolers aren’t monsters.
Wow :(
COFFEE! REALLY? IS YOU REMOTELY WANTING COFFEE MORE IMPORTANT THAN SOMEONE'S LIFE? The baby didn't even do anything to deserve that.
Legit that’s so messed up and why is the system that we have in this country would allow this?
especially when you consider that, yes, the mother may be guilty of a crime, but that baby is guilty of NOTHING. And not caring adequately for the mother puts the baby's life at risk.
And yet we have all these people who are anti-abortion, who don't even think that women should have the right to choose, because "THE BABY" deserves a right to live, even if the mother doesn't want to be pregnant and carry a baby to term. Where are those people in cases like this? Where that mother actually WANTED that child, but lost it due to negligence and mistreatment? Where are those people advocating for THAT baby's rights?
Shit makes me so freaking mad
"You don't stop being a human just because you made bad decisions." Yes. That part.
1.4K likes and no replies? Let me fix that.
Does that apply to chomos to 🤔🤔
@@bobbyknight3589yes your still a human even if you did r*pe a child was Adolf hitler still a human? Yes.
Well, yes it does. They still get a fair trial after all.@@bobbyknight3589
Even if one does not care for the mother - what about the child !
When I was a kid my mom volunteered in our church thrift store. A pregnant woman came in one day & asked around if someone would take her baby. She was going to prison & her son was going to be born there. My mom overheard her get several no’s from people. She walked over & offered to foster her baby. She never asked my dad, never had a discussion in the family, it was just a yes. We got to keep that sweet boy for about 4 months. We would have kept him forever but his mom got out & definitely needed to be with her baby. I’d do this for someone in that position, no questions asked. 💙
God bless your mum ❤️ I bet that baby had the best start in life possible with your amazing family. & so sweet you’d do it again - an amazing example set by your parents x
I can't imagine how scared that women who was going to prison and how desperate she was to find a good person to take care of her baby. How lucky she was that fate brought your mom into her life. How lucky the baby was.
@@AccessibleCruises yep and I can imagine her thought process like where can I go?? Not to the state. Christians! They have to help! What about the story of the Samaritan? All of Jesus' teachings? Clothe the poor, feed the hungry etc. "no" "no" "no" basically all telling her they can't or have their own shit. Yes ok if you can barely feed your own kids then it might not be smart to promise something that you can't do, but.. Breaks my heart when ppl say they love Jesus and then don't know what it's like to truly leave everything behind for another person who needs you. No matter what crimes they may or may not have committed bc we humans can't judge, only God can. These used to be my beliefs I grew up in the catholic church so I know that this is what Christians are supposed to be doing. But again, we can't judge our fellow humans. They probably had good reasons who am I to say.
If I am ever in this situation I would say yes in a heartbeat.
Your mother is an angel sent by God. That's amazing. I teared up reading this 😢.
Remember...the baby isn't an inmate. The baby hasn't committed a crime. Ignoring or neglecting pregnant women can have negative implications for the baby.
I agree
This is such a good point
Definitely if you can't help hating the person carrying the baby at least care about the baby cuz they are completely innocent
Yes but the woman matters too....
@@snakesrule7067 kkkokoòòooooòokkkkkoooooooookkookookoooooookkooookokojono99oi9iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiìiiiiìòìkko9oooooooooookkkooooòiioooooòioiooooòiioiiiiiiiiioòoiiioiiiiiiiiiiooiiiiiiiiiiiiiioiiiiiiioiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
The prison system seems to treat inmates like animals and expect them to come out human. So sad.
Truth...that is why recidivism is so prevalent.
U know it’s sad to say but yes they see u as just a number in prison or jail a ceo actually had told me wen I was 7 months pregnant that i was just a paycheck to the system it is cruel they treat us like animals and act like they are better than u wen we are all the same no matter what u do or were you are we are all the same in gods eyes no one is better than the other because we all have dark sides and we all make bad mistakes
@@soberlife1777, I felt like we really dehumanized prisoners when I worked at the prison, however, I was never attacked by an inmate and the guards were hypervigilant or I might have felt like the majority of the staff. I could not be a nurse AND treat people like you were expected to in that setting.
That's exactly what they do at the police in the prison system are terrible here
Exactly! They treat people in prison like animals then wonder why they come out acting like animals. Smh
I learned recently that indiana prisons has an experimental program for the pregnant mama's in prison. If they are not a violent offender they can qualify for the program. The program allows for baby to stay with the mom. They teach the new moms how to be moms and give them counseling because the goal is to break the cycle of reoffense and give them something to live for. I learned about this because a family member ended up in this program. It was great to see the videos that were released showing how much she had grown as a mom.
More states should have programs like that
I'm in Germany and the babies get to stay with the mum for the first 2 years. Afterwards the child lives in foster care or with relatives, but visits the mother on a regular basis.
I wish they had these programs in all states. I’ve watched the videos and it seems like a very good program for offenders and their children.
It's a slow process but I hope this goes to other states.
Its so disturbing how we don't encourage prisoners to "break the cycle" almost everything about the U.S. prison system encourages reoffending and they know it. By keeping people in prison/making it so that people have a greater chance of coming back (by traumatizing people, because we know mentally ill people have a higher chance of being incarcerated) they can make more money off of legal slave labor. I hate this country.
“I had told myself that if I don’t look at her, I won’t love her.” Is the most devastating thing I’ve heard in a LONG while. The fact that anyone, any human being, would be put into this situation where that kind of thought is somewhat of a CONSOLATION to them…devastating. Unacceptable.
When I had made the decision to give my baby up for adoption because I was in the military and knew that I would not be able to take care of said baby. I chose not to see her because I knew I would want to keep her and that was just not right for her. But I had made this decision for the baby and it’s future. I am worthless the perfect life that I brought into the world deserve only the best so I prepared myself for this while I was caring her reading singing and making sure everything was good. Counseling is something that should be implemented into the system.
@@cynthiamull129 absolutely counseling is so important and I think there should be better maternity set up within the military as well but I’m very sorry you had to go through that and I don’t think the majority of people realize how truly devastating something like that is. I hope the baby is healthy and happy and I hope you find some comfort in the idea that she is so loved by someone or some family that desperately wanted her in their life and are so grateful to be able to love her ❤️
That doctor that ordered a second day in the hospital is a hero.
Yessss
What is so sad is that she was treated so poorly, that baseline medical care and support is heroic. Those other people should be ashamed of themselves.
@@LemonScentedSquid truee
@@LemonScentedSquid false
@@Coffeeisnecessarynowpepper random... okay. Great point.
It’s really depressing how she repeatedly said she almost deserved that treatment because she was a criminal. No one deserved that.
Thats what they teach you in rehab. That everything that happened to you after and during your addiction was your fault and you need to come to terms with it. Even if it wasnt a direct decision you made you put yourself in the situation.
She meant she deserved to go to prison for her crimes, but maybe if they could have accommodated her pregnancy a bit better.
@@kayypurrs2318 I think the reasoning for that is because they want them to move on to a better way of life. If they can take responsibility for their own actions and recognize the consequences of those actions than they will want to avoid making poor decisions again because they want to avoid the consequences. I don't believe everything that goes on in prisons is morally okay nor justified in any way, but knowing about it sure makes me want to stay as far away from that life as possible.
Agreed. She is a human being, and that is not how human beings should be treated. Accountability does not mean you deserve every single messed up thing that happens to you.
I don’t think she meant she deserved mistreatment because “she was a criminal” as her identity;
But that the whole reason she was to there *was* the consequence of her actions.
In a literal sense, being in prison *is* the fault of the person who broke the law. There are natural consequences for actions, and there must be enforced consequences for wrongdoing in a free society.
That being said, all the “exta” abuse and callousness heaped on by guards snd COs is totally unnecessary. Inmates are already being punished; it’s cruel to be purposely mean in addition.
Sigh... But I can also see how that job would wear on you and make it very hard to care for long. Burnout, compassion fatigue, is going to affect the ones who care and feel first.
It’s a mess is what it is.
Human sinfulness all around just creates misery.
At 17 I spent the night in a holding tank with 19 yr old woman that was 9 months pregnant. I let her sleep on my lap and I rubbed her back so she could rest. I often think about her, hope she and her baby are okay and together.... ( That was 20+ years ago) I've had 2 kids since then, and it still breaks my heart how the treated her.
It's not like the woman was a murderer. Shackling her like she's some dangerous criminal when she was pregnant is just ridiculous.
Genuinely insane the debate became like: "it's a difficult problem because she wouldn't be shackled like everyone else, should we make that exception for her. etc..." Like how can you say those words without questioning the treatment of these incarcerated people.
She just happened to sell drugs to a kid who overdosed as well though
Pretty sure they get off on the power.
@@prikas4313I have no problem with prisoners being shackled. Like. It’s really not that big of a deal 😂 it’s literally an understanding when you are a prisoner and being transferred around. There is a reason for it.
We have to recognize people in prison are still human beings. They should be treated as such.
Not rapists
There are many flaws in the US Prison system.
@@mml3888 aside from them and pedophiles, prisoners are people who deserve a chance to reform and be better.
Wow... As a German I am honestly terrified that you say you need to recognize that prisoners are humans too.
The very idea that there's any way you wouldn't think they're human leaves me speechless. I knew there were human rights issues at your place, but right until now I didn't realize how dire the situation was.
@@cucublueberry8078 In the american system, prisoners are the last legal slaves. US prisoners literally have no right to be paid for their work, and have no right to refuse to work. Also with the prisons for profit model, judges are bribed to give longer sentences, politicians are bribed to pass laws that mandate prison sentences for even the most minor 'crimes', and most for profit prisons actively avoid rehabilitation.
As another commenter stated, the numbers in kindergarden classes are monitored so that prisons can make sure they have enough space for their future income streams.
It is no accident that 25% of the world's prisoners are american. Even North Korea incarcerates fewer people per 100k head of population.
The SADDEST thing I have ever seen was a woman shackled in the hospital next to me wailing and sobbing because they took her baby away and I was still holding and snuggling mine. I'm haunted by her pain. I pray she got out and reconnected like Jessica Kent did.
Deep. I can't unread your comment.
This is so heartbreaking for that mom and it clearly had a deep impact you, an “innocent bystander,” as well. This needs to change, like years ago.
@Brenda bro, literally shut up. She was heartbroken, it’s clear she had felt guilt for her crimes bc she wanted her baby. She probably didn’t even know she was pregnant up until she ended up in prison just like Jessica 😐
My mother gave birth to a very premature baby, back when they were all kept in a giant open ward of clear plastic incubators surrounded by beeping machines and wires.
One day, she saw a prisoner, a very young and small black woman, walked in by CO's, to say goodbye to her tiny premature baby. She was heavily shackled and just cried and cried. It has been decades and she still talks about how sad it was.
It's really uncommon. Speaking as the attorney for a lot of kids like that. Most don't take the opportunity to do the classes or get sober while they're incarcerated
I’m pregnant and watching this.. I’m on probation and so thankful the judge gave me this opportunity to change my life around.. my crime happened 3 years ago but my judge saw something in me as an addict that no one has before.. everyone in my town says my judge is to harsh but she didn’t seem that way to me at all.. she blessed me with this second life and opportunity to raise my toddler and this new baby the way I’m supposed to.. I thank God everyday for her and for my lawyer who worked so hard for me 2 years ago when this whole journey with the courts started 😭😭😭😭 I’m balling my eyes out.
Good luck for everything and lots of love to your kids !
Congratulations on your sobriety.
Congrats on your new life to you and your kids
You've got this! I believe in you! Here's to many more years of sobriety
I am so, SO proud of you for doing so much for your child/children and for yourself by working so hard at continuing your work on your sobriety and process of being a loving parent. You’re amazing!
This video skipped over the naked strip search she received once she got back to the prison from having the baby. There were two women and 3 men in the room. Her recollection of what happened in that room is really foggy, and leaves you with the impression that something pretty bad happened.
Oh my god thats horrifying
I mean, something may not have happened in that moment but was just the overall cherry on top of all the trauma she was going through. At a certaib point your brain can only take on so much. The loss of her child, the physical-demandingneas of labor, the fear she’d never see the child again, even just having to go back to prison overall… All of that is more than enough to send you into full disassociation/derealisation. The strip search may have been fine, but having your naked body searched aftwr having just been in labor would be horribly invasive (the amount of physical vulnerability would likely make her so messed up at the moment.)
Not saying nothing happened, just that I’d say it’s just as likely that she was already in a completely different world mentally by that point and so her memory is foggy.
All of this being said… This feels so inhumane. I would treat animals far better than they treated her. She committed a crime. Committing a crime should never make you into less of a person the way it seems to here.
I can’t imagine being forced to do jumping jacks and squat after giving birth I felt a twinge of pain in my vagina.
I’ve given birth an easy one too, you bleed so much right after.
I’m gagging I have to stop thinking about it.
The US prison system is pure disgrace. NO prisoner deserves to be treated in this way.
It truly is. Prisons in other countries, like Sweden for example, treat the prisoners like humans.
Unfortunately, dogs in the pound are treated more humanely than people in the us prison system. They are not provided with timely or adequate medical care, and family outside are treated just as guilty as the criminals inside.
Some of them don't care and women give birth in the prison.
They make money off of having people in prison. That's why they don't care about "rehabilitation". In fact, they do everything possible to make it so you go back. Blocking you from jobs, being able to get a place to live, abusing and traumatizing you, the list goes on and on. They even look at the numbers in kindergarten classes to make sure that there will be enough space for them when they turn 18 (school to prison pipeline). It's all about making money and using prisoners for slave labor.
The prison system in Arkansas is especially disgraceful. Basically 100% of the prison reform that’s happened in the last 40 years in Arkansas has been focused on making the prisons LESS abusive. Not stopping prison abuse. Not humane treatment for prisoners. Less abusive.
For context, back before the prison reforms started, prisoners were often actively tortured for things as simple as “not working hard enough” according to whatever narrow minded opinions the guards might have. Could be the hardest working person in the entire prison, but still not working hard enough. Also, the “trusty system” was a former source of many abuses in the prisons.
That said, much progress has happened. So much more ground left though.
As a nurse myself I am aware of how disgusting and condescending some nurses can be and I personally think it’s criminal. Nurses are given this unique opportunity to share people’s most beautiful and devastatingly traumatic experiences. The thought that some nurses can be so hateful and pervert those sacred human experiences is in my eyes unforgivable!!!
I agree! Those people don't deserved the word "nurse". Shame on them
The word “nurse” does not mean an educated person. Anyone can be call a “nurse.”
@Sarah C. It’s really nice/refreshing to hear this from a nurse
@@betsysmith9023 nurses are educated people. Except in the criminal justice system, they are often LPN’s with little training and even less empathy.
That's a problem everywhere in prison.
Everyone is treated like an animal
That guard who announced the pregnancy for everyone to hear did it intentionally. It was a vicious, heartless act.
I have worked with former inmates, and the abuses they suffered still anger me beyond words.
ETA: The clinic at which I worked was very good about bringing in women who were incarcerated. They came in the back door, and were roomed immediately.
I went to a teen parent school and some of the required classes were parenting if you had a kid or were pregnant and prenatal if you were pregnant. The teacher for those classes volunteered for jail and prison pregnant prisoners, to basically be their birthing coach and advocate while in labor. I always thought that it was cool of her but until hearing this story makes me realize how important she was to those women. I also wish that you had her for your delivery.
I am a retired prison nurse. The offenders(inmates) were the most grateful patients I have ever had the privilege to work with. They deserve your respect and compassion. If you don’t feel that way towards them then find another nursing job. Period.
bad stuff ... Baby medical kidnap by hospital. USA is a video. see now. 2022.
Yesterday Idaho Lt. Governor Janice McGeachin appeared on the Stew Peters show and said that she had reached out to Governor Brad Little to intervene in the Baby Cyrus medical kidnapping case, but that he refused. Due to parents not taking the clotshot they took him away from his breastfeeding mother and are trying to give baby to a foster family. Baby healthy and trying to give it away. The hospital in Boise, Idaho doing this. Child trafficking ring. Think for safety of own children.
👏 absolutely!! If you do not have compassion for the job you do especially in the medical field find another job!!
@@Heatherbeesknees123 Or if you do not like assembly line work. now days is get em in get em out. get paid extras if stamp covid positive on the form.
@@jackfrosty4674 I'm going to need you to prove what you spewed.
@@kskitty68 It's true. Clinics are so regulated by authorities that have no clue, it has become assembly line symptom management. Wellness doesn't figure into it at all, not any more.
when I volunteered with a women's prisoner advocacy group my supervisor said "physically being in prison is the punishment, its not right to punish a prisoner any further" this always stuck with me, its terrible how prisoners are treated.
This is so important to remember. When I hear these stories I ask myself, how do we expect these people to get "rehabilitated" and mix back into the outside life after we put them through so much additional trauma? What do we as society gain from this type of punishment? Truly amazing to see Jessica turned things around but I wouldn't be surprised if someone else (i.e. a mother whose child is taken away for good) reacted differently in a way that results in crime again. And what about the child? What kind of a person would they grow up to become, knowing that the system that they need to respect and take part in took them away from a possibly loving mother... Sad, sad world. I'm glad we are taking about these things. And I appreciated you comment.
@@tuzunayse "When I hear these stories I ask myself, how do we expect these people to get "rehabilitated" and mix back into the outside life after we put them through so much additional trauma?"
To be frank, from my understanding and experience, most people _don't_ expect rehabilitation. It seems most people in the US view prison as punishment alone, not as a place to reform people to be more active, functional members of society. We need some large scale social shifts in understanding of the point of prison in our justice system in the US.
@@mrahzzz You are right, never thought of it that way. And if people enjoy punishing others just for the sake of causing them pain in exchange for some wrongdoing, that for me may be the main problem of this world. The underlying cause of almost all violence.
@@tuzunayse Yeah, Jessica made a life for herself despite the prison system, not because of it.
The US prison system is one of the worst in the world despite ding a so called 1st world country. We are definitely losing that position the last 20-30 years! It’s about punishment not rehabilitation! They’ve taken away a lot of the programs to help them when they get out to be able to support themselves being felons. That’s why the recidivism is so high here! When they get out they have no job, nowhere to live and no support systems in place, people gotta eat so they’ll be forced to money to eat any way they can. The whole system needs an overhaul but it’s only getting worse because they don’t give a sh*t
Most of the story is hard to hear, but the prison not giving her the pictures of her daughter that the foster parents sent is truly crushing. They could have sent some of the photos back, that was so evil.
As a correctional RN, I have done everything I can to help inmates get the best medical care, because often on the street medical care is often lacking. I am committed to helping the underserved.
In Ireland, mothers can keep their babies with them in a special mother and baby unit until the baby is a year old.
I have seen a video about that and they have those in most states but I guess not where she lived
They have it in some states but It’s so exceedingly difficult to get put into a cell with your child. Especially in Arkansas where she was, but even in places like New York, California, Washington state.
A lot of the time they have limitations like how much time you have to serve in your prison sentence and even then there is a limited amount of space and very few women get to keep their babies. It’s much MUCH more common that you get 24-72 hours with them and then return to your cell and don’t get to see them, and like she said in the video very few people end up with full custody of their children after. The goal of the foster system is reunification, but a lot of times it doesn’t end up that way because of what is best for the children. Jessica listed some of the things she had to do for reunification, and often there are even more hoops for the birth parents to jump through.
A few us prisons have this.
We have the same in Australia we can keep ours until there about 4yrs old
As an ex CO I'm so glad the CO with her when she had the baby encouraged her to look at her baby. You can't replace that moment after labor and she would have regretted it for the rest of her life.
Yes indeed! I worked in L & D for a short time early in my nursing career. While we never had a prison patient in L&D when I worked there, one of the saddest thing for me was when we had a mother who gave birth to a baby who had died in the womb. We took pictures of the baby, one for the chart and one for the mother. We encouraged the mother to look at and hold their babies.
I never had a patient I wasn't able to talk into doing so, and every one was so glad that they did and told me that it really helped them with their grief.
I'm not sure if I interpreted it wrong but she definitely could've said it in a less agressive and demanding way though
@@franziskawild6981 that’s just how COs talk. They think they have to be aggressive and mean or they won’t have as much power to trip on
Easy to say in hindsight, but what if she was never able to obtain custody? What if she never saw her child again? Maybe she'd have regretted looking for the rest of her life.
@@dinospumoni5611 I don’t think it would have mattered in that case. Looking helped to bond them, but if she hadn’t looked she still would understand the magnitude of her loss.
I’m 8 months pregnant and I’m in tears after watching this. The attachment I already have to the baby inside of me is insane. I couldn’t imagine having my baby taken away like that
because you love them not because of a made up chore
This is one giant multiple HIPPA violation as far as her experience. She could probably sue everyone involved! Love her attitude! 💞💞💞
I’m a receptionist at an OB/GYN clinic and I ALWAYS pull our inmate patients back into an empty room the minute they get to their appointment. Even if we’re running behind. We don’t see them out of order, but they can definitely wait in a private room until it’s their turn. Yes they broke a law. Yes they deserve to be incarcerated. But they don’t deserve to be made a spectacle. They deserve respect and dignity. I’m so sorry to hear that’s not what happened for her 😔
You're an angel. Thank you for being compassionate and making the world a better place.
Such a kind and attentive thing to do. People like you make all the difference 💞
That’s so amazing of you to do that because of course they are human beings as well
No no human deserves to get caged and broken by a sinister slavery system, trapping them over and over again. The astronomically expensive profitable prison industrial complex doesn't ever work other than for the coffers of the elite, and we see how it's made USA the safest country in the world(?) huh no #CareoverCages.
You are a true compassionate professional. Thank you
The war on drugs has hurt so much more than it has helped. Possession shouldn't even be a prison offense.
Agree and also, by what she said, there were additional crimes beyond mere possession.
She was a dealer and had gun charges. But yes, I agree fully.
@@shannonrickard8605 what she went to prison for on this charge tho actually was a crime she didn't commit, it was because of her baby daddy and a shit public defender
If people who struggle with addiction got adequate help and treatment, less of them would end up commiting other offenses.
@@mywingsareyours correct me if i'm wrong in her case, but public defenders are so often over worked and under paid that it's less of an issue with individual public defenders but of public spending on them
20:44 "You do not want to hurt her" That breaks my heart the most - what did they think a mother who just gave birth was gonna do to her child?
I took it to mean "Don't make us hurt your baby."
I think they have this mentality that they think inmates really want to control the situation to the extent of: if I can’t have the baby I’m going to harm it so nobody else can. Obviously that’s not the case most of the time. But also postpartum depression can be really exacerbated by early detachment and causes major trauma
@@jjabbott7249 they weren’t going to hurt her baby
WELL I KNOW ONE THAT WITHIN AN HOUR OF GOING HOME FROM THE HOSPITAL DECIDED TO WARM HER NEWBORN IN A FREAKING MICROWAVE.. THE FAMILY FORGOT TO TELL HER DELIVERING PHYSICIAN SHE HAD BEEN BOTH PSYCH DIAGNOSED AS VIOLENT PSYCHOTIC AND DRUG USING.
@@teresavogt5977 postpartum psychosis is a real thing unfortunately
Jessica Kent is a remarkable and wonderful woman. Yes, she’s got a past, that is probably very different than most of us. She’s allowing her very difficult story, to help others and change this world for those who are afflicted with the disease of addiction, in a positive way.
"If I just dont look at her, then I won't love her. And if you just take her away, then I'll be okay."
I'm sixteen weeks pregnant and just started bawling at that.
🌸 I'm a teen, not pregnant. And even I started sobbing at that. Also, I hope that you and your baby are alright and hope that you have a wonderful pregnancy so far, no matter what problem or trouble you've faced during it, since I know that pregnancy is hard, but I don't know how hard, since I'm not pregnant myself. So I hope that you're doing well 🌸
I can only say what my mom told me, but back in the fifties she had my brother ( he was stillborn) she never got to see him. She said that was the hardest part of loosing him, because she never got to say goodbye.
I’m a grandmother, who had her second baby in Fort Smith, Arkansas. I’ve watched Jessica’s story three times, and I cried each time. The only free pregnancy clinic that I know of in FS is the Sebastion County Health Dept. Shame on them! My late husband used to volunteer once a month as a social worker (licensed MSW) at the pregnancy clinic, because they would not have had one without him. Jessica, I’m so sad you and your baby were treated so abominably. I’m glad you got your baby back and you’re making a great life for yourself. ❤️
I'm non-binary afab with NO desire to EVER be pregnant, but this made me bawl hard. I may not want a kid, but holy hell... if I had one, you would have to kill me to take them away. I can understand her thought process and it simply shatters my heart.
Congratulations!
“This makes me want to fight for prison reform” yes PLEASE DO! Not only for pregnant women but for nonviolent offenders and mentally ill people. I’ve been to jail twice and each time (because it’s on my record that I’ve been 5150’d for unalive attempts) I got stripped naked and left in a bare room with no blanket. The American “Justice System” is not just at all. And everyone with a platform should use it to try and enact positive change for that system.
I'm not going to ask about your transgression (based on what you've said, it's probably a petty one). However, I will say that I'm so sorry for your experience. I'm shocked that you were punished for being suicidal. It's only recently that I have learned that American prisons are doing things that stifle the progress of its incarcerated citizens and that the USA has the world's highest number of incarcerated citizens per capita. If I may ask, why does the American justice system seem to be setting people like you up for failure?
@@awesomelegion9950 that’s an excellent question. And I really wish I knew. The system says they’re all for rehabilitation but in reality they’re far more happy to punish someone and keep them in a cycle where they reoffend and get reincarnated. I believe a lot of the issue stems from the fact that the majority of jails and prisons in the US are privately owned and for profit. So people who already have an intangible amount of wealth are making even more wealth off the suffering, and punishment of (primarily) POC, low income, mentally ill, or LGBTQ+ people
@@campbellssoupcan That makes sense. I assume that the profit made by the prison is based on the number of detainees. How did anyone think that it would be a good idea to have private prisons? It was obviously going to lead to systematic abuse. I can only imagine how traumatic your experience was. I hope that you're doing better now. I assume that the prisons are not the only component of the system that sets people up for failure. I assume that the country's society has a role as well. If I may ask, how does American society perpetuate this horrendous abuse? What is its role in setting people like you up for failure?
There is no justice in the American justice system! They let pedophiles out yet keep low level sick drug addicts that are only a danger to themselves! We do need to write our congressman and demand change!!
This is also why prisoners deserve the right to vote.
She got custody of the baby and made it. She is an inspiration.
Jessica, I'm a trauma tech in nursing school. We see patients from all walks of life, including patients in custody, multiple times per shift. I'm so sorry you had to go through this mistreatment. We don't go into healthcare to judge our patients, ever. It may not mean much, but after seeing your story I can promise you that as a tech & future nurse I will make an extra effort to show compassion to all patients, including those in custody. This was so hard to watch but the lessons you have taught are more valuable than you'll ever know. Thank you for sharing
Apparently, no-one seemed to care about the innocent baby's health through all of this !!!!!
It’s such a lucky thing that Micah was ok throughout all of this
That is what gets me bad. Like pregnant inmates get a little extra shitty white bread and no Healthcare, but so much can happen without vitamins for babies...
I find it equally troubling that no one cares about Jessica’s health. It doesn’t matter if someone is a criminal or a felon, they are human. Jess was addicted to drugs and that is 100% of the crimes she committed. She dealt drugs only to keep up her drug habit. Anyone who says you shouldn’t get medical attention because you once committed a crime is out of their mind. Even serial rapists and murderers shouldn’t have medical emergencies ignored. Hot take I know but I don’t believe that a state should have the power to pick and choose who to help and save and who to let die a perfectly preventable death.
Don’t forget 99% of people or more have once been guilty of a crime, even if they were not caught. If we had the ability to read minds and no one who has ever committed a crime could get medical attention, no one would be able to get medical attention.
This is so heart-wrenching. I am so sorry you had to go through all this Jess. I love your videos. Shame on the people who treated you so badly. I am so happy your daughter is healthy and happy with her beautiful mother( I'm talking about YOU Jess!!!!!!!!!!!)
This makes me feel like there should be a person who’s whole job is to advocate for prisoners’ health care, and accompany them to the hospital. Doctors shouldn’t be arguing with COs about a whether a patient should be shackled.
Agreed!
In the hospital doctor’s orders should override the COs
Agreed
I would conjecture, optimistically, that some incarceration systems probably have staff positions like this. Which means there's probably good precedents and data to examine for how it could be implemented in more places. I sure hope so.
I've never thought hard about medical care quality and access for inmates and I'm mega curious now, I'll definitely have to dig into researching about this. I always assumed things were halfway decently done but this story definitely proves otherwise, and it's recent enough that I'm certain there's still much work to be done.
My brother was in TX state for 7 yrs. I'm fairly certain there is nothing like this(advocate for health & wellbeing). And if there is, it's not even worth mentioning. Sad, sad system. It's not just the offender it affects, it's their entire family. My mom spent 7 years of sleepless nights worried about him. Not saying he is innocent, he definitely made bad choices. But not anything worth 7 yrs of inhumane treatment. Change is needed!
It's impossible to watch this without crying. What a traumatic and humiliating story.. So glad she got full custody of her daughter! Jessica, if you read this: thank you for your encouraging words at the end. I really needed that.
This kind of thing kept happening to my son. He was diagnosed with asthma and is prescribed breathing treatments as a PRN. The medical staff at the prison wrote this prescription. But while in the hole (segregation) he has been made to wait sometimes hours struggling to breathe because they tell him he has to wait until shift change. And regarding HIPAA it is non-existent in jails or prisons. For example, inmates stand in line waiting for their meds.
I can't beleive they get punished for suicidal thoughts THAT IS NOT OKAY!
IKR what the fuck justifies that
Well I mean they’re in jail... what do you expect? Their own mansions, personal therapists, or their own paradise? They’re trying to teach people that they don’t want to be in jail.
@@lizzyhudson4963 No, we expect people to be treated as people, as humans. It is a basic human right to get healthcare when needed, being thrown in segregation and watched for 72 hours is not healthcare. It is also not “trying to teach people that they don’t want to be in jail”. It’s cruel and it’s inhumane. That you can even think it is okay is beyond me.
@@lizzyhudson4963 Wow. Basic human rights are paradise to you? I sure hope no one you love ever gets put in prison.
The point isn’t to punish them so much as to observe them to see how bad it is or just make sure they don’t hurt themselves but in any case that’s not the way to go about it
I see prisoners in my practice. We let them come in through the back door and give them a separate room to wait in so they don’t have to sit in the waiting room with everyone else. They deserve their privacy and dignity.
Beautiful comment
Thank you
No they don't they didn't respect other people's privacy and dignity when they do crimes now did they like a hit and run or a burglary or a robbery. Don't give them respect because they won't respect you they gotta prove that they want to change
@@Dreadvermin1 They still deserve basic human rights. An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.
@@xotbirdox did they did the same to the person who they hurt would you say that to a child rapist or a rapist in general or someone who tortured people cut off limbs and skin. Or do cartel type things to people do they deserve it? Or how about the taliban who treat women like slave do they deserve privacy and their dignity
@JessicaKent I wanted to thank you for being so willing to share your story. When I was 16 almost 17 I was pregnant in jail. When I 1st saw your story & found out that I wasn't alone, it helped me deal with what happened & start going to therapy for it. So, thank you.
Just because you go to prison doesn’t mean you deserve to be stripped of your humanity and health.
I understand that she was a prisoner, but it is disgusting how everyone treated her so inhuman... I'm so thankful her doctor gave her an extra 24 hours
Everyone responsible for the experience Jess went through, should be charged. People incarcerated should be treated with respect.
Not all prisons believe that though.
Prisoners still have rights especially to their health so why did this justice system fail to acknowledge this ?
She wasn't in there for physically harming anyone, I'm confused at all the evil treatment. She was in there for using drugs wasn't she?
@@leelew.1462 for using and selling I believe
Watching this from a european point of view is just straight up horrifying. There are so practices in this that would be considered human rights violations if not outright crimes (letting her bleed pregnant etc.) I can't even count them. Ideally she should have been counselled through the later stages of pregancy and birth as well. I honestly can't believe this is happening in a first world country in 2021.
So happy for her that she worked through everything and ended up getting full custody. That is one hell of a strong woman.
The United States is rife with human rights violations, with most of the South being the worst. And make no miatake, we have degraded a long way towards no longer being a first world nation.
The US? First world? Bless your heart
@@painoftheheart12 huh? The US is a first world country?
I don’t know where in Europe you’re from but some countries are certainly better than others. What you say about rights and good practice is definitely humane compared to the prisons in America.
The US is a first world country for the rich, a third world for the poor.
At 17, I got clean just weeks before finding out I was pregnant. I was fortunate that incarceration was not part of my story, though it easily could have been. I’ve been clean and sober for 42 years now. My son was born healthy and I was blessed to have been able to stay clean and sober all these years. I’m so glad that you are clean and sober too Jessica, and that you have been able to do all the things necessary to regain custody of your daughter. There is not a single thing that ever got better in my life with the additional of drugs and alcohol, and today I have a life that I could never have imagined. I have a Masters in Social work (Chem dep) a bachelors in psychology, and I ended up doing residential drug treatment at a federal prison LOL Life has a way of working itself out in ways that we could never have imagined ❤️ blessings to you and your daughter. Dr Mama Jones, thank you for sharing this story, and just so you know you’re not alone, I bawled my eyes out thru the whole darn thing ❣️There but for the grace of God go I.
I’m 5 years sober and I can confirm, unfortunately a lot of the treatment I received was less than stellar. I wasn’t even in jail, I went to a couple different detoxes and rehabs. Some were excellent, but some were the literal opposite. And a lot of what I noticed was the way other patients were treated too. I don’t know if it’s a mix of the stress of working with addicts(we can really lose it, I know I did in withdrawal a couple times) or the fact most addicts or inmates don’t know how to combat ill treatment or think no one will care.
I had read an article about 2 different young people who died withdrawing from heroin in jail. They didn’t receive any medical attention even though their roommates were screaming for them to do something. Fyi they officially died from dehydration.
I wish for a day when addiction is a medical issue and not a criminal one. Addicts may commit crimes but they also might not and to criminalize an entire disease just hurts us.
“It’s ok, I did something wrong, I deserved to be in prison”
I mean, to an extent?? Not to THIS extent, there’s no reason for her to defend the inhumane abuse she was treated with, especially when there’s also a stigma against helping anyone that’s gotten addicted to drugs and such. Breaks my heart, don’t defend your abusers, even if they belong to the state 💔
Coping mechanism. If she convinces herself she deserved it, it doesn't feel as bad. :(
I don't know that she's defending her abusers by saying that. She's simply acknowledging that she ended up in prison because she broke the law. Right up.front so that there won't be room for others to say that she brought the whole thing on herself, or that she's using this as a way to make herself look like a victim for having gone to prison that all. Of course we know that not the case. But in my opinion if there is a little side trip that people can take away from the real issue it's probably better to get it out on the table and deal with it right away. "I know I broke the law and that's how I got to prison. End of that story! Now let me tell you what happened to me while I was trapped there..."and then go right on to describe what IS terrible abuse. You don't want to give people any sort of way to Discount what you say. But it's not excusing abuse to admit that you've done something wrong either. They are two separate issues. And that's the whole point. That just because you committed a crime and are incarcerated nothing else changes about you being a human being with rights and the basic decency we all owe each other.
Ppl cud have ODed n died due to her drug sales. She's no fuckn angel. She can sit 6 hrs Jesus. She's fuckn fine 😆
@@cozmiczeal3895 learn to type properly before you critisice others
@@cozmiczeal3895 also just cause she broke the law doesn't mean she deserve that horrible treatment. And if you took away that she just 'sat for 6 hours' from this video you need to check your listening comprehension.
This is so, so vital: "You don't stop being a human just because you make bad decisions."
People always, ALWAYS deserve to be treated like humans. Even in prison. I hope this reaches the right person to change even a little of what people go through in terms of dehumanization in the prison system.
Yeah that's weird, it's like bad decisions make us human.
Always? In my opinion that depends on what they did. For example a murderer, pedophile or rapist...nope won't threat them like a human if they don't behave like one.
@@LastKatanaGirl Murder, pedophilia, and rape are all human behaviour. It’s not respectable human behaviour, but still completely human.
@@dakota5671 Just because a human does something doesn't mean it is (normal) human behavior.
@@Peaches2456 stop spreading myths people with mental illness are far more likely to have to have crimes committed to them than opposite and 99 percent of people who commit these crimes are mentally sound
My dad was dying of liver cancer and was intubated, still shackled to the bed with a guard at the foot like he was going to get up and run somewhere unable to breathe on his own. Prison doesn't equal inhuman. One of the biggest issues in America. Its so sad. I will say luckily that the medical staff was very kind. The doctor treated us with kindness as his family.
I’m actually extremely proud of her.. all she went through.. she lived multiple lives in her young life and that’s coming from a 22 year old. A VERY strong woman to be where she is today and I just wish I could hug her and tell her she is valuable and those people are below her on the hierarchy that’s crazy what they put her though
In Switzerland, children under the age of 3 will stay with their mother in prison, because it has a negative impact on children to be separated from their mothers. There are special prisons for mothers with young children. Quote from a reputable source (Beobachter): "There is a central maxim in everyday life in residential groups: the mother is in custody, the child is not. That is why the well-being of the little ones is always in the foreground." It's sad to see how women in custody in the USA get treated :(
It's not just women. In the US being sent to prison basically un-humans you. Any rules that are written on paper are worth about as much as the paper they are printed on. A CO can kill you and all they have to do is lie. COs often have a buddy-buddy system and they often cover for each other.
What if the dad is in the picture does the kid still stay in prison?
@@luckybunny9456 Until the child is 3 it can stay with the mother in prison. The child is not in prison, so the child can always stay with family for however long. After the age of 3 the child will live with the father/other family/foster family. But most women get released by then. Swiss prison system is for rehabilitation and not just punishment. Being locked up is the punishment, what they do there is for rehabilitation. We don't want people staying in the prisons forever instead of being a productive member of society. Its tax money that can be used in other places better.
@@tenjou0 That sounds horrid. But we constantly hear of shootings and police brutality from the USA. So sadly this is no surprise ((( Doesn't police personnel have tasers in the USA? Here you get tased, shot with tear gas, with water streams, etc, but deadly force is very rare.
Same here in Finland, this video sounds so inhuman. I didn’t realize this wasn’t more common.
It hurts to hear someone say "I deserve it I broke the law" because no one deserves to go through that. Everyone deserves compassion and care and to be treated like a human. This story is so heartbreaking.
unless they are a pedo or rapist or animal abuser
As an Irish person, the American version of events is terrifying. I am so confused and horrified for her. My heart breaks for any person going through this. I am not a mother yet, but I hopefully will be soon.. and I just cannot imagine the strength Jessica had to overcome this. What a strong momma she is. Her daughter is one lucky girl to have such a positive role model.
I have 2 kids and one is 6 months old. I’m literally rocking him to sleep as I’m watching this and just bawling my eyes out. I cannot even imagine what she went through I would’ve lost my mind.
Today Minnesota became the first state to stop separating incarnated woman and their infants
Um- I think Indiana was the first...
@Artoria Pendragon Source? I'm in Ohio where the political shift to the right has young adults leaving
All states should be like that
@@beckoliver3618 i agree. Indiana womens prison has the wee ones nursery.
My husband is a CO at Indiana womens prison, and they have a baby unit. And a dog unit. He loves playing with the dogs. He doesn’t go near the babies bc he is a baby magnet and he doesn’t want the inmates seeing how much of a teddy bear he is. 🤣
As someone who’s not from the US the most heartbreaking fact for me is that she repeats that she deserves this “because she broke the law” multiple times. No, girl. Even if you break the law, you should be treated like a human being. This is purely inhumane and something I wouldn’t even let someone do to an animal.
Funny you say that when she was talking about how her baby was taken away and how she was shackled during pregnancy all I could think was that she was being treated like a dairy cow. Horrific stuff
European here and exactly the same
Hahaha
Obviously you are completely unfamiliar with the U.S.
Look up Sheriff Joe Arpaio
😭☠️
@@katgenn-winkler1754 wtffffffff
I think she just meant that she deserved to be in prison, which is something she says often on her channel. She’s very vocal about advocating for prisoners’ rights, and I don’t think she believes she deserved to be treated in the way she was, just that it was her fault she was there to begin with.
There's a documentary on UA-cam about a prison that allows mother's to keep their babies in prison with them (provided they meet certain criteria). It seems like it's super beneficial for the mother's, babies and the other inmates who are permitted to help out.
There’s gotta be a ton of parts of this on the medical end that is illegal. I just can’t see how someone being treated this inhumanely is legal.
As a Scandinavian watching this video, it really just drives home how utterly broken the USA is. This is no way to treat a human. That shouldn't even need saying. It's terrible to call this "justice" and it's an insult to healthcare to describe this as a healthcare system. I am so so grateful to have been born in Europe.
Totally agree! I am from Finland, haven't been in prison but I know there is a special unit where femele inmates and their children are living. Children can stay there at least until 2 years of age. There are of course (female) guards but also social workers and mums get help. There has to be extremely heavy reasons to seperate mom and baby from birth, such as detoxing of the baby etc.
In any country but US, we third world countries can be really poor but we have public HUMANE healthcare systems, we just don't have enough fund. The US is a nightmare.
Me too.
U.S. is a sick, broken place, and I'm so glad I wasn't born there. They have been brainwashed into believing their country is great and "number 1" while living in shitty conditions that keep getting worse for women and poor people. Jesus Christ.
@@livethelife4833 I'm not super knowledgeable about it but I'm pretty sure that unfortunately, living conditions in French prisons are horrible. I don't know if they compare to the US but again, unfortunately, it's nowhere near as good here as it is for our neighbours :/
This is also happening to a woman who is in prison, the justice system and people's mentality towards inmates is what is to blame not the healthcare system. I have free healthcare issued to me by my state and I receive the greatest healthcare that I could imagine, all my medications that I'll ever take and all the procedures are 100% paid for because I was in foster care. Granted not all medications are coverable but that's alright. Our healthcare is the best it's just expensive if you don't have free health insurance. I'm happy to have been born in the US where this is possible for me.
I’m sorry, she was sitting in active labor for 3 hours?! How far away is this hospital that they can’t drive her there or call an ambulance to take her? This is disgusting behavior and is 100% cruel and unusual punishment because they’re forcing her to be in active labor with no medical assistance for a prolonged period of time.
It’s worse than cruel and unusual. Unfortunately it seems like it’s cruel and common.
I've never been pregnant, but I believe some women's labor can last less than three amount of time. I wonder what would have happened if this woman gave birth while in prison. There would a fire storm.
@@therandomvlogger1 too many women unfortunately give birth alone in their cells because COs refuse to get them treatment. It's horrifying and I'm so glad Jessica got to the hospital, even if she did have to wait.
@@therandomvlogger1 I would say there would be a lawsuit. I think there should be a lawsuit for how long she was forced to sit in that chair. If it was a situation of they were understaffed and transportation was 3 hours away and there was nothing else they could do, I wouldn’t have a problem with it. But if they made her sit there so they didn’t have to do their jobs, then people need to be fired and she should be compensated for the anguish they put her through.
@@victoriasparrow_ A lot of women were using it as a reason to get pulled out of their cells so they don't believe the women anymore.
I slipped into post-partum psychosis after I had my kiddo. As I listen to her, it terrifies me to think of what might happen to women who have the same condition and are stuck in prison. I doubt they get the care they need.
I literally started crying when she said she was left alone for 3 whole hours in labor 😭
Former correctional nurse here, here are my inputs.
-people who work in hospitals and clinics outside of jail that act unprofessionally around inmates is very real. I've had many inmates tell me that they would rather stay in jail and receive care from us because of the way they're treated outside of the jail is too humiliating.
-Regarding shackles, yes, officers are reluctant to remove them. Depending on the officer I would have to ask a few times for them to remove them if it was necessary for assessment and treatment. I can easily imagine that officers would be on higher alert if they are working outside of jail.
The particular jail that I worked at didn't shackle pregnant people's legs if I remember correctly. That's a policy that differs from place to place.
-I am so so surprised that they made her walk to the infirmary. The officers should have called the nurse and the nurse should have gone to pick her up. And it sounds like she was walking alone? If the officer wasn't going to call the nurse, they should have at least walked with her!
-oh man the shift change. The number of times I've had to argue with the captain that no, it can not wait until shift change. So here the deal about shift change. When an inmate has to take an unexpected trip outside the jail (to the ER) a certain number of officers has to go with them. Normally that's not a problem. However, many times, the jail is short staffed, and they don't have officers on hand to escort the inmate. So, if it can wait until shift change then they can call people to come in and work the next shift and all the positions will be covered. If it can't wait until shift change and there's no officer available to escort the inmate, then what is likely to happen is that they'll lock down part of the jail and one officer will cover what is normally covered by two (or more) officers. You can imagine the risks involved in doing that.
But it's so so important for nurses to remember that they have to advocate for their patients. If I had to pull the, "you have 10 minutes to figure something out and then I'm going to call for an ambulance" card, then this would have been the time to use it. Also the threat of having AN INMATE GIVE BIRTH TO A BABY IN JAIL should have been enough to get her out of there. (the only people who were remotely okay with delivering a baby was the EMTs that worked with us. Shout out to the EMTs , they're awesome). I can't think of a singe nurse that would have been okay with having a BLEEDING PREGNANT person sit on a chux pad for three hours. It makes me wonder what is happening over there for them to become so complacent.
-I wonder if she had any type of mental health consult at all. When tested someone for pregnancy and it was positive and that's the first time that they are learning that they are pregnant, I automatically put in a mental health referral. Of course the inmate has the right to refuse to be seen by the mental health team but the initial meeting should have happened. And the process should have been repeated when she returned from the hospital and was acting the way she said she was.
-The jail that I worked at did have a breast pump and while I was there, it was our policy that they had to discard their milk. It was starting to change when I left and they could enroll to store their breast milk. But the milk storage stuff was done by a different department that acted independently of the medical department.
This comment turned out way longer than I expected but if anybody reads this and want to know more from a correctional nurse's point of view then I'm open for questions.
I worked in dispatch for a sheriffs office here in California. Whenever an inmate has to go to the hospital the CO’s have nothing to do with it. An ambulance is called and we have to pull a deputy off the street to go into the jail for hospital guard and rarely are they ever in the room with the patient. They are stationed outside the door in a chair. The must difficult part is when you have to find a deputy from nowhere when you’re already short staffed and they don’t work in the city where the hospitals are, they’re in the rural unincorporated area.
It’s Ben my experience that the majority of CO’s (in jail and in prison) are there because they like the power of being a cop and can’t cut it on the street. They love the power and the on,u power they have is over an inmate and it’s disgusting. We had a guy who was unsworn staff who went through the police academy twice (your certificate only last so long and if you don’t get hired you have to repeat it) and fail out of the training program four times. Finally they just said “put him in the jail”. He had such a bad attitude and definitely walked around with short mans syndrome, if you catch my drift.
Thank you for explaining . If only you had been there for her.
@@christinamatzen4214 That makes me sick that if an officer "isn't cut out for law enforcement" they make them a guard, where there is no accountability. "Oh you can't cut it as an assistant manager, here's your CEO badge". The fact that the guard was un-hirable and failed training 4 times, what part of that says he's qualified to do the job in the first place? "Oh you failed your Safe Food-handler's Certificate 4 times and can't get a job at McDonalds? Here's a job as a 5star chef". UGH! What is wrong with our society? I could go beyond the scope of this video too but I won't.
I think this is the longest comment I’ve ever seen
@@Emily-xm3jh clearly you havent seen me talk about the number 3. or the color green. or beans. give me a subject ill write an encyclopedia lol
What this poor woman went through is absolutely disgusting. Even if she's guilty of something, her child isn't. Sitting in your own blood for hours, alone, waiting...where's the humanity here?
She wasn't even guilty of anything, except being high. That's what you get sent to prison for in developing countries.
No, she was dealing meth.
@@Marco_Onyxheart she was a drug dealer. Not even remotely "wasnt even guilty of anything".
Amen! Just harrowing 😩
Pfft. Lolol. Idk if u know this, but she was in prison. There's no humanity in prison... HEL-LO.
I can’t help but bawl my eyes out. This makes me wanna foster a baby for a momma in prison and bring her baby to visitation every day so she can see her baby every chance she gets❤🥺
When she said she had full custody I started jumping up and down 🎉😊
Most prisons have age requirement that visitors must be 12 years old 😢
As someone who works as a forensic nurse it is insane how they treat her. I do not work in America, but i have worked with pregnant people. Its in a way weird but fascinating to see the difference between Europe and USA in healthcare for people who are in jail and prison. Thank you for explaining!
Federal prisons in Canada have a mother-child program that keeps the babies with the mothers, while in prison, if the mother is not in prison for a crime against a child.
New Zealand is the same. You can be transferred to a mother and baby prison unit (living with other mums and babies) where your child can stay with you. I think it's fantastic personally.
www.corrections.govt.nz/resources/newsletters_and_brochures/new_beginnings_-_mothers_with_babies_unit
I’m in Canada and I didn’t know this... wow! That’s amazing!
That's too idealistic for America. Why? because you guys also have socialized medicine in better drug treatment programs then America.
@@bishop51807 than not then
@@bishop51807 As your neighbour country, we always find what is going on in the States bonkers.
The part when she was in labour and sitting on a chair for 3 hours alone bleeding was heartbreaking i can’t imagine how horrific that was
Exactly. This is so so horrific. There is no crime in the world that would justify this kind of treatment, I don’t care even if you’ve murdered someone. Being treated like this isn’t just a risk for the prisoner, it’s a risk for the baby, and that baby is not a prisoner. That baby isn’t a criminal. My heart 😭
It's terrible . As if they hope that the prisoner and unborn don't make it 😢
Imagine if she'd had any complications during that time? When a person is in active labour, things can go very wrong very quickly.
I once saw a docuseries of a prison that allowed babies to stay with mom in a special Mommy-and-Me cell block until 1YO I think. They also had inmates apply to be a "nanny," and live in that cell block as well to help the moms with their babies throughout the day. There were strict rules, like your charges couldnt have been violent, curfews, etc. But I thought that was really amazing and their statistics spoke for themselves (lower maternal mortality rates, lower PPD rates, better infant health, and lower reincarnation rates for the mothers after they got out of prison).
The story was emotional in itself, but at 26:56 when she said "but I did it", I absolutely broke.
I get that when you do crime, you lose privileges, but health care should be a GIVEN, not a privilege!
In Chile, babies stay with their moms in prison until they are 2 years old because of the right of the child to be with its mother and nurse. The babies leave the prison to go to state-owned day care during the day. I am not sure what is better, honestly, because the trauma of being taken away at 2 is probably super hard on the child as well.
There's actually pretty strong research that kids who are able to develop a strong primary attachment first are more able to transfer that attachment if necessary down the line. So while any separation is traumatic, it is probably less so at 2 than if it occurred at birth.
@@andreakubiak4778 That's so interesting! Thanks for commenting!
Definitely better at 2 than at birth, and many women might have sentences less than 2 years anyway.
As a hopeful future foster mom, I think I'd deal better with separation anxiety from a 2yo than the trauma of a newborn being ripped from her mother's arms. Plus it makes visits to bio mom easier, even if she's in prison.
@@whychoooseausername4763 YES, great point. Bless you for taking that path! I hope you get a placement soon!
I had a nurse abuse me while I was passed out in a very personal area. It hurt so badly I woke up screaming- she said, “well then next time don’t try to kill yourself!” I had suffered a horrible miscarriage followed by debilitating depression. The doctor was so disgusted he asked her to excuse herself. I passed out again from pain and shock.
I hope she went to prison. Such behavior is monstrous. Sometimes I think monsters like to work in prisons so they can feel justified hurting people. There is not a thing in this world you could do to deserve that. Not even a monster like her deserves that. I hope you are recovering, I hope you have found justice and I hope that one day you find peace.
Legit that’s so messed up and inhumane that these Justice system that we have would allow this
Sue the hospital for neglecting you
I’m so sorry that happened to you. I made a serious attempt myself once and found the nurses lacking patience and compassion. I hope things are better for you now. 🙏❤️
I was a hardcore fentanyl IV user when I found out I was pregnant back in early Jan 2019. I was put on methadone while pregnant to avoid the dangerous withdrawals for my baby. I can relate to her embarrassment she felt as I had trackmarks all up and down my arms it would take over 30 minutes just to find a vein. After I had my baby, I was transferred from the Mother unit to the pediatric unit to make sure we were cleared before we went home because of the medication I was on. Now where I’m from, Camden NJ, it’s a major drug city one of the worst in the country so the hospital sees a lot of “babies born addicted”. My room happened to be right in front of the nurses station. I’ll never forget sitting in our room in the pediatric unit, and hearing them talk about "a junkie coming in” (those were the exact words used) then another one joke and say very loudly “OH WE GOT ANOTHER SUCKER" and laughed. - Which if you didn’t know, is what they call babies that are born withdrawing. I wish I spoke up then about it.
One thing I have to mention for everyone who says, "You're in jail, you broke the law and it's just part of the deal..." What too many people forget is that not everyone in jail is guilty. Some of them are there and totally innocent and need to be treated as such.
And even if you are guilty, you're still human.
As a disabled woman that has been treated in very dehumanizing ways since childhood by medical staff, this was very healing to watch. Thank you for your advocacy for humanity and compassion 💖 @Mama Doctor Jones
I'm sorry to hear that. My goal is to work in the health field in the future. Would you be comfortable sharing your experience and how you would have preferred to be treated? What are things that I can do as a future nurse to help you feel respected?
My state (Indiana) has/had a program in one of the women's prisons where nonviolent inmates with less than (I think) 15 months on their sentence at the time of birth can sometimes enter a program to keep their babies with them in the prison. I know it isn't possible in all cases, but I do wish more prisons would explore this option. CPS is heavily involved, they take the children to well checks in place of the moms, but they get to bond, and there's the hope that it can help reduce recidivism rates.
In Canada there are programs like that too.
There’s a documentary on that “babies behind bars” I think it’s a great program especially for somebody like Jessica who is willing to make changes for the better for her child.
That's incredible! Placement in foster care is traumatic for the child even in the best case scenario as it disrupts the baby's first bond, so any program to avoid that will be for the good of the child.
@@soapiesoap5649 I saw that documentary! No spoilers or anything but I was really angry at the end of it
This was actually inspired by standard practice in countries like India where children stay with there moms until they r old enough for school. They actually go into the prison with their mom. It goes a bit far with it but I do believe they have the right idea in concept. Its definitely the right idea for people who enter prison pregnant.
Holy crap... I am crying my eyes out. This brings up memories that were better left buried. But I am so glad that she made this video and that you reacted to it. Y'all are bringing awareness to a very hard situation. Thank both of y'all so much.
I watch Jessica's videos as well as Momma Dr Jones. I enjoy both!! Thank you for posting this MDJ!!
After my son was born, the young lady (a minor) in the hospital room next to mine, had her son forcibly removed by DHS and deputy sheriffs because her parents signed him away. Her pleas and cries were so heartbreaking and I cried with that young mother… it was my discharge morning and fortunately a nurse came in and said let’s get you two out of here… but I will never forget that day as long as I live.
Thank you for for being so kind for being such a compassionate person. You are a hero, you have no idea how much you brought to that young woman. I speak from experience on both sides.
Thank you 🙏
I think the young teen should go to a foster home that would care for her and her child. Nothing will ever be the same after the girl goes home without her baby. I didn’t even know grandparents have the legal right to “sign away” a child who is not theirs.
My grandmother had her first child at 17, unmarried. She was forced to give him up for adoption and had to come back "with an adult", my 37 years old grandfather, many months later to get him back. 😢 to this day I have no idea how she did it.
I cried just reading your comment. I can’t imagine seeing it or living it. That’s evil. 😭
@@susanwilliams7062 she can’t take care if it
This is WHY I support The Wee Ones Day Care. It’s a program where women get to keep their babies in prison for up to a certain amount of time!! It’s in Indiana.
I live in Indiana and while a pretty bleh state over all that's one thing I'm pretty proud of
Agreed with yall. Hoosier here too.
YES!!!!
I live in Indiana! I wasn’t aware of this!
That is great I believed I watched a documentary on it!
@Jessica Kent , thank you for sharing ALL of your stories. The light you're shedding in prison life is eye opening and hopefully your work leads to improvements to the system and hopefully helps get or keep other young girls out of the system. So glad you turned your life around and you're free to mother your children the way you deserve.
My mom had my sister 6 months into a 3 year sentence. She gave birth cuffed to a bed, no skin to skin with my sister, they called my dad and told him he had an hour and a half to come get my sister or she was going into the system. My mom was sequestered away from my sister, not allowed to hold her nothing.
Even when I got a pee test for my job the tech was incredibly rude to me...I come to make the realization that she thought I was there because I broke the law. When I told her how excited I was for this job her attitude did a 180 🙃 thanks for addressing the medical staff being inappropriate because that should never happen. I worked in the medical field and you should never ever judge
As a former drug screen tech not even possible We have to check the correct box on the COC for the reason you are being screened We always know why you are being screened before we start the process 🤣🤣
@@judyperri9496Many places test employees for drugs before hiring from different types of clinics. It is possible. 🙄 Snooty ass people shouldn't work in medicine.
Our prison system is so messed up. There are people doing worse crimes getting a break. But they keep a drug addict in prison even while she's pregnant? Oh yeah the big war against drugs: as if they didn't know the little people are not the ones really in charge of it all.
Exactly. While she was able to get her life back together, what about shackling someone up and traumatizing someone is going to help them? The US’s response to crime and drugs is horrible
she was dealing. She was not in prison for being an addict.
@@lulumccoolio3111 punishment is not meant to help you. Its supposed to help keep normal (non-criminal) society protected from you.
@@michajastrzebski4383 You really believe that she was a danger to society? Come on. She broke drug laws that shouldn't even exist. I don't find the specifics of the crime relevant. If you have an addiction, you need HELP, no punishment for having an illness.
@@michajastrzebski4383 that's the flaw that got pointet out. Prisons should help people get normal. Otherwise they'll never become normal again.
We need you advocating for patients out there, especially those that are the most vulnerable and overlooked. Thank you for all that you do already.
This makes me cry, no one should be treated that way
They claim to uphold the rights of children but they mistreat the mothers which is also harming the baby in the process. It breaks my heart. It’s almost like the system wants the mothers to fail when jail is supposed to be rehabilitation (and punishment) for their crimes.
Jail has never been a good way to rehabilitate. Plus voting laws on people with a criminal sentence make don’t help people feel like citizens with rights after they do time.
Too many for-profit prisons in America. It's all about getting the prisoners to be repeat offenders and get thrown back into the system. It's disgusting.
That's how dehumanization works. They treat mothers no better than breeding dogs.
I don't care what law they broke, their bodies and children should never be used as a way of torture.
@@CaptainsMorning this. Right here. Thats the real issue. Get rid of for profit prisons, we might see a big change in how inmates are cared for.
The purpose of jail was never to rehabilitate. It is for legalized slave labor. The 13th amendment specifically outlines it. America is so messed up, and people don't even realize what's going on right under our noses. This story was so hard to hear. I can't even imagine how awful it was to live it.
I saw (online or the news) another case of a pregnant woman in prison who, when she went into labor, was ignored. She gave birth in her cell, alone with no help. All the other prisoners were screaming for the guards who ignored them until after the baby was born. Terrifying!
Tammy Jackson. She died. She was a woman of color in a FL prison. She labored for 7 hours in a locked cell and no one helped her.
@@HelloNewMoon That's horrible.
@@HelloNewMoon Whichever one I saw online/TV lived, as did her child. She too was a woman of color.
Great reaction video. Thank you doctor for your empathy and humanizing the account. Yes, Jessica is a true inspiration and I watch all her videos. She is doing the hard work and making recovery her number one priority. God bless you all!!
I have a 6-month old right now and OMG this story has me in tears, just imagining myself in your position. Thank you so much for sharing this story and shedding some light on the treatment of pregnant inmates. Currently with a baby myself, I would argue that so many of these details amount to cruel and unusual punishment. Wow, this was really eye-opening. Thank you.
The prison system is fucking cruel. Why is it more important to send a person to prison, than it is to help that person become a good parent and member of society? She was obviously able to do it, because she did it all by herself once she got out. I just don’t see how getting tortured for a year in prison helped anything? Like, wouldn’t it be better to spend the resources that were wasted on keeping her locked up on helping her instead?
I just don’t understand how anything could justify what they put her through. It’s just heartbreaking.
because punishment is somehow more important than helping people want to be better people and making them better people
The almighty dollar
money money money
Drug addiction is a disease, not a crime. They become drug dealers and commit prostitution to get the drugs needed for drug addiction, they need rehab, not jail. Our jails are full of people who are sick. Why not build more rehabs and treat these patients properly.
@@mybasecampisuptownhighrent not just the sick but we also have a huge mentally ill prison population
I was arrested and held for 3 days (charges got dropped) but I started my period and was denied the use of any pads or tampons even when I asked.. I have never been so humiliated to sit there and bleed all over myself. It's disgusting.
They really need to penalize these prisons/jails for that. How horrible :( I'm sorry you went through that.
That seems like something worth a law suit
This happened to me back in 2011 and I went through this for two days. It was horrible. The guy COs would tell me to use the toilet paper. Then finally a women CO came in, she finally gave me a pad (they couldn't give me tampons) and snap out on the other COs. This was one of the worst experiences of my life.
Wow. Just wow. This video and now these comments are really impacting me. Thank you to both of you above for sharing personal stories about this, this is insane. There needs to be some type of organized investigation where people get booked into a smattering of incarceration systems and state need for fem hygiene products on purpose to test what happens and report on the inadequacy of provision for this basic need. I wonder how hard it would be to establish a norm of practices like that so that various levels of government can properly monitor conditions and treatment in their systems.
Sue. These things will keep happening until someone is held accountable. Preferably someone in a senior position.
I watched this a while ago and my heart broke for you. You are a beacon for other people who need to see there is another path to walk ❤
Thank you so much for openness, Jessica! And thank you so much for the well-reflected reaction, Mama Dr Jones! That is a topic that should be talked about much more!
When you’re 37 weeks pregnant watching this and your waters break.... u realize it’s something you shouldn’t have watched at this particular moment.
I hope you and bubby are healthy and happy.
yeaaaa maybe not the best choice.
Congratulations on the baby! I hope it went well ❤️
Thank You all… we’re doing great I never expected this much off affection
I understand, she takes responsibilities for her actions, her mistakes. That's GOOD, that's progress. BUT GURL, the cruel actions of others are NOT. She's a first time mom going through REHAB, she is TRYING. She didn't kill 15 people in cold blood, she did DRUGS. It was self harm for the most part. If she was trying to improve, what the hell's up with everyone attitude. You should logically support someone doing better, as they contiue, and you dont have to see them in the cell again. But i'm glad everthing worked out for her. -
People believe inmates are like all serial killers and should all be treated like a crushed can of Pepsi
I know, her story is so sad, (I am shedding 😢 here) even I would have said just go have a brake, a cup of coffee or cigarette brake and leave her alone and let her heal. They should have an option to let her have the baby with her like other countries do. Have a compassion people. Are you human or what
The prison system is not good at rehabilitating drug users. And in some instances, this is by design, private prisons (which are the most corrupt thing in the country) have intake quotas. This means that they need to have a certain amount of inmates to make a profit, so by ensuring convicts are not able adjust to life outside and reoffend they keep bringing them back in to keep their quotas met. It is the most disgusting thing. They then use their massive wealth to ensure the government does not improve the prison system. The people running these things are the worst criminals of all, they profit off of destroying people’s lives
i swear. what is even the point of putting drug users in prison? i understand more since she was a drug dealer but people become drug dealers due to socioeconomic and systemic issues that need to be addressed
@@6_blocks_under profit, private prisons make money off of having prisoners, and drug addicts are very likely to reoffend if they don’t get help, so they don’t help them so they can make more money
The fact you held back tears for most of the video really shows me you're a genuinely compassionate person, you make the world a better place.
Thanks for posting this Dr. Jones. The more light shed on injustices the quicker they disappear.
I’m a 50+ yr old man with several children and I got emotional watching this. What a horrible and (I dare say) rights infringing experience you had.
Congratulations Jessica !! You got through it and now have your baby girl! Great job !!