The Prince George's County Jail
The Prince George's County Jail
According to Leara Davis and her grandmother, jail has made it difficult for her to provide breast milk to her newborn son.
Last week, I received a tip about a young woman in Prince George’s County jail, and the difficulty she is having trying to get breast milk delivered to her newborn child. She gave birth at Southern Maryland Medical Center. She was accompanied by correctional officers — and the medical team. She had an emergency C-section.
Due to protocol, it seems, Leara’s grandmother, Linda Marshall, wasn’t allowed to know that her granddaughter was in labor. Marshall found out after he was born. Child Protective Services told Marshall to get the child. You can read the rest of the story here.
An excerpt:
Linda Marshall, 66, is crying against the backdrop of her great-grandson making baby sounds in the background. She loves him and is happy that he is in the world. For now, he is in her care. She is grieving the imprisonment of Leara Davis, her granddaughter; the conditions of the prison that her granddaughter has to navigate post-pregnancy; and the separation of her granddaughter from her son.
“If you’re going to incarcerate a pregnant woman, be prepared to take care of her, you know, have a meal for her,” Marshall explained. “You know, a dog who has puppies is given more care than a pregnant woman in PG County jail.”
“Some of the officers in here don’t even see you as a person,” Davis said in a recording sent to The Intersection. “They see us as the thing you’re accused of.”
Davis said imprisonment has made her feel less human. One day, she said, she started crying – feeling like she didn’t want to live anymore. “I pleaded with God because that is the only thing I know how to do,” she said.
What I did not add to this article is the context of the Prince George’s County Department of Corrections. There are more than enough articles that talk about the conditions of the jail, and they have impacted inmates. This article just adds to that total. Links below:
Lawsuit Alleges Prince George’s County Officials Illegally Hold People In Jail Before Trial
Inmates At Prince George’s County Jail Sue Over Unsanitary Conditions, Ask For Early Release