Children & the Law Blog

Girl Scout Troop 1500, led by social worker Julia Cuba, has a unique mission - the approximately 50 members make a monthly visits to Gatesville Women’s Prison, a chance for the scouts of Troop 1500 to see their moms. In the documentary of the same name by Ellen Spiro and Karen Bernstein, the filmmakers follow the girls through the difficult process of coping with growing up as their mothers progress through the penal system. According to the filmmakers, “An estimated 1.5 million children have incarcerated parents and 90 percent of female inmates are single parents. Their daughters are six times more likely to land in the juvenile justice system.”

The documentary appeared on the PBS series Independent Lens and is now available from Women Make Movies as part of a four-part collection on Women & Criminal Justice (.pdf).