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Linda Smith, the grandmother to the four girls, is making it, but not by much. "With shoestrings, we manage," she said. Smith feeds four growing girls and herself on an administrative assistant's salary and a little bit of public assistance. The city recently cut the family's food stamps because Tamara was going to college and not participating in a welfare work program. "The welfare department is disgusting," said Smith.

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Women In Prison

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Patrick Egan
Patrick Egan
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The journey to Albion had begun before dawn on the previous day, as children left their homes in New York City for rides to the airport. From a plane they took a bus to the Vineyard Church in Rochester, where they killed time playing UNO, Go Fish and basketball, and crafting cards bearing messages of love and congratulations for their mothers. They played in a pool, went to bed, and got on the bus again to visit their moms in jail.

This story is the first in a three-part series. To read Part 2, click here. For Part 3, click here.