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Formerly Incarcerated Woman Remembers Giving Birth While Shackled To A Bed

This Former Inmate Was Forced To Give Birth While Shackled To A Bed
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Editor, HuffPost Video

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The cultural conversation about the plight of incarcerated women is fresh in the American consciousness thanks to "Orange Is The New Black," but the real-life experiences of pregnant women in jail are just as harrowing as anything fans see on screen. Mario Caraballo is proof of that.

Caraballo sat down with HuffPost Live on Tuesday to share her story of being pregnant in prison and giving birth while shackled to a bed frame. Caraballo, who was two weeks overdue at the time, recounted her trip to the hospital from Bedford Hills, New York’s women-only maximum-security prison. She said she remained in the dark for much of the process.

"They don't tell you when you're going to get induced. They just pick you up, tell you to get dressed and you're going on an outside trip," she told host Alyona Minkovski.

Once she arrived at her destination, Caraballo was served with a blunt reminder of her status as an inmate.

"I get shackled on my hands and my legs. I didn't get the waist chain," she said. "When I got to the hospital they took [the shackles] off my feet and they cuffed one of my hands to the bed. I was like that all the way until I gave birth."

Although her doctor insisted on removing the cuffs to ease the birthing process, officers refused, leaving Caraballo to maneuver with one hand still chained to her bed. She explained:

It was difficult because as I'm trying to lift my body up to push my child out, I can't even lift my body up, I can't even push correct[ly] because as I try to lift up, the cuff keeps closing in on my hand and keeps turning so it kind of cuts you and it swells your hand up. It's tough to give birth while cuffed to a bed.

The practice of shackling pregnant inmates remains a widespread issue in New York, despite being outlawed throughout the state in 2009. Of 27 women who were pregnant while incarcerated after 2009, 23 were illegally shackled, according to a report by the Women In Prison Project.

After her own ordeal, Caraballo had just a few moments with her daughter.

"I was able to hold my daughter for a few minutes with one hand -- with the hand that wasn't cuffed to the bed," she said. "It hurts to not be able to touch your child's face. You know, hold your child in one hand and touch the child's face. Really look at your child in the eye and show your child your love."

Watch the full HuffPost Live conversation about the plight of pregnant women in jail here.

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Before You Go

States Sending The Most People To Prison: 24/7 Wall St.
10. Idaho(01 of10)
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10. Idaho> Sentenced prisoners: 499 per 100,000 residents> Total sentenced prisoners: 7,985 (19th least)> Violent crime rate: 200.9 per 100,000 residents (6th lowest)> Poverty rate: 16.5% (19th highest)In 2012, 499 people were incarcerated for every 100,000 residents of Idaho, up from 487 a year earlier. Of the nearly 8,000 sentenced prisoners in the state, 1,008 were women, an increase of 13.9% from the prior year, among the highest growth rates in the country. Unlike most states with high incarceration rates, Idaho had a relatively low crime rate. It had the sixth-lowest violent crime rate and the lowest robbery rate in the country. Idaho also had the fourth-lowest property crime rate in 2011.(Read more at 24/7 Wall St.) (credit:Shutterstock)
9. Missouri(02 of10)
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> Sentenced prisoners: 518 per 100,000 residents> Total sentenced prisoners: 31,244> Violent crime rate: 447.4 per 100,000 residents (12th highest)> Poverty rate: 15.8% (24th highest)In 2012, there was one person serving a sentence of more than one year for every 200 Missouri residents. But unlike much of the rest of the country, Missouri’s prison population actually rose 1.3% in 2012. Somewhat alarming, the state is running out of prison space and, as of late July, had room for just 100 more inmates before reaching full capacity, according to CBS St. Louis. Officials contend the state can handle more inmates. However, Missouri’s violent crime rate, among the highest in the county as of 2011, means any open spaces are quickly filled.(Read more at 24/7 Wall St.) (credit:Shutterstock)
8. Florida(03 of10)
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> Sentenced prisoners: 524 per 100,000 residents> Total sentenced prisoners: 101,930 (3rd most)> Violent crime rate: 515.3 per 100,000 residents (8th highest)> Poverty rate: 17.0% (17th highest)The number of people in Florida serving prison sentences fell from 537 per 100,000 in 2011 to 524 in 2012. Experts attributed the drop to a decrease in the state’s crime rate. Nevertheless, Florida had the eighth-highest violent crime rate in 2011, with more than 515 crimes committed per 100,000 residents. Specifically, Florida’s robbery and aggravated assault rates were both the ninth highest of all states. Despite the large prison population, Florida closed 10 correctional facilities in 2012, more than any other state.(Read more at 24/7 Wall St.) (credit:Shutterstock)
7. Georgia(04 of10)
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> Sentenced prisoners: 542 per 100,000 residents> Total sentenced prisoners: 53,990 (5th most)> Violent crime rate: 373.2 per 100,000 residents (21st highest)> Poverty rate: 19.1% (5th highest)Although the number of sentenced prisoners in Georgia stayed roughly the same in 2012 as it was in 2011, the number of female inmates declined 7.1%, compared to a 2.3% drop across the country. While Georgia had close to average violent crime rates in 2011, it had the fourth-highest property crime rate in the country. The state is home to a high number of poor individuals who are at higher risk of committing crime and being incarcerated. The poverty rate of 19% in 2011 was higher than all but four other states. Meanwhile, the percentage of people without a high school diploma was among the top third of all states.(Read more at 24/7 Wall St.) (credit:Shutterstock)
6. Arizona(05 of10)
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> Sentenced prisoners: 583 per 100,000 residents> Total sentenced prisoners: 38,402 (10th most)> Violent crime rate: 405.9 per 100,000 residents (19th highest)> Poverty rate: 19.0% (tied for 7th highest)Arizona had 583 sentenced prisoners per 100,000 residents as of 2012, well above the national rate of 418 per 100,000. The state also had among the most sentenced female prisoners relative to population of any state, at 101 per 100,000 female residents. Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office processes at least 7,400 inmates per month, according to its website, and is known for its outdoor desert jail, Tent City. The Department of Justice is currently investigating whether Maricopa Sheriff Joe Arpaio and his office committed civil rights abuses.(Read more at 24/7 Wall St.) (credit:Shutterstock)
5. Texas(06 of10)
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> Sentenced prisoners: 601 per 100,000 residents> Total sentenced prisoners: 157,900 (the most)> Violent crime rate: 408.5 per 100,000 (18th highest)> Poverty rate: 18.5% (11th highest)Texas had more prisoners in its jurisdiction than any other state, with nearly 158,000 inmates as of 2012. However, the incarceration rate dropped 3.5%, compared to a decline of 1.7% across the country. Experts have attributed the decrease, at least in part, to policies that have moved some lower-level offenders into alternative sentencing programs. Like most states on this list, Texas had a disproportionate share of at-risk individuals. Nearly 19% of the state’s adult population did not have a high school diploma, tied with Mississippi for the highest rate in the country. The 2011 poverty rate of 18.5% was also higher than the 15.9% across the United States.(Read more at 24/7 Wall St.) (credit:Shutterstock)
4. Oklahoma(07 of10)
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> Sentenced prisoners: 648 per 100,000 residents> Total sentenced prisoners: 24,830 (17th most)> Violent crime rate: 454.8 per 100,000 (11th highest)> Poverty rate: 17.2% (16th highest)Oklahoma housed 648 inmates serving sentences per 100,000 residents in 2012, up from 632 in 2011. There were 127 female prisoners in 2012 for every 100,000 female residents, the highest incarceration rate in the country and up from 122 in 2011. The state has become increasingly dependent on private prisons, with about 23% of the prison population serving sentences in a private facility. The move toward private prisons can limit the motivation of the state to cut down on the prison population because the state typically pays much less to hire private companies than to fund the prisons directly. Oklahoma was in the top third of all states for both violent and property crime. Specifically, the state ranked among the top 10 in both aggravated assault and motor vehicle theft.(Read more at 24/7 Wall St.) (credit:Shutterstock)
3. Alabama(08 of10)
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> Sentenced prisoners: 650 per 100,000 residents> Total sentenced prisoners: 31,437 (13th most)> Violent crime rate: 420.1 per 100,000 (16th highest)> Poverty rate: 19.0% (tied for 7th highest)With 650 prisoners for every 100,000 residents, Alabama’s incarceration rate stayed exactly the same in 2012 as it was in 2011. Crime rates were higher in Alabama than most other states. The state had the fifth-highest property crime rate in 2011, with more than 3,600 crimes committed per 100,000 residents. Among property crimes, the state had the third-highest burglary rate. In addition, the violent crime rate was among the top third of all states. More than 17% of the state’s adult population lacked a high school diploma as of 2011, higher than all but four other states. Alabama also had one of the highest poverty rates in the nation, with 19% of people living below the poverty line.(Read more at 24/7 Wall St.) (credit:Shutterstock)
2. Mississippi(09 of10)
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> Sentenced prisoners: 717 per 100,000 residents> Total sentenced prisoners: 21,426 (21st most)> Violent crime rate: 269.8 per 100,000 (18th lowest)> Poverty rate: 22.6% (the highest)Even as the prison population declined across the country, it increased in Mississippi. Between 2011 and 2012 it grew 4.1%, a faster rate of growth than all but two other states. Although the $41.51 daily cost to house an inmate in the state is well below the national average of $65.41, the state’s corrections system is still $30 million in the hole for the 2013 fiscal year. Much of that is due to inmate growth. A hefty 22.6% of Mississippi’s population lived below the poverty line in 2011, the highest poverty rate in the country. Mississippi tied with Texas for the highest percentage in the country of adults who have not completed high school, at 18.9%.(Read more at 24/7 Wall St.) (credit:Shutterstock)
1. Louisiana(10 of10)
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> Sentenced prisoners: 893 per 100,000 residents> Total sentenced prisoners: 41,246 (9th most)> Violent crime rate: 555.3 per 100,000 (7th highest)> Poverty rate: 20.4% (3rd highest)No state had a higher incarceration rate than Louisiana, with 893 people behind bars for every 100,000 residents. The majority of Louisiana inmates were locked up in private facilities, which has given the state far less incentive to reduce the prison population than most other states. Louisiana had the seventh-highest violent crime rate in the country in 2011, with more than 555 crimes committed for every 100,000 residents. The state had the highest murder and non-negligent manslaughter rate, as well as the fifth-highest aggravated assault rate. However, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune, the state had a much lower percentage of inmates serving sentences for violent crime and a much higher percentage serving sentences for drug offenses than the nation as a whole.(Read more at 24/7 Wall St.) (credit:Shutterstock)
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