Babies born in prisons: A story of hope

Amanda Cheek holds her nine-month-old son Chayne in the prison nursery at Decatur Correctional Center.

By COLLEEN MASTONY

Decatur Correctional Center’s E-wing is a place of stark juxtapositions, where the crackle of guards’ radios mix with the happy cries of a toddler learning to take his first steps. Colourful murals of Bert and Ernie from Sesame Street decorate the otherwise drab walls. Outside, swing sets and a plastic playhouse nestle into a corner of the prison yard, which is surrounded by a tall chain-link fence and razor wire.