You Miss So Much When You’re Gone

This report was created by Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union.

“Every day in Oklahoma, women are arrested and incarcerated in local jails waiting— sometimes for weeks, months, a year, or more—for the disposition of their cases. Most of these women are mothers with minor children. Drawing from more than 160 interviews with jailed and formerly jailed mothers, substitute caregivers, children, attorneys, service providers, advocates, jail officials, and child welfare employees, this report shows how pretrial detention can snowball into never ending family separation as mothers navigate court systems and insurmountable financial burdens assessed by courts, jails, and child welfare services.”