Correctional News Premieres New ‘Corrections Connections’ Docuseries

Correctional News has launched a new docuseries, “Corrections Connections,” aimed at highlighting program models and operational approaches shaping progress in the corrections field.

The series will follow the Correctional News team as it visits jails and prisons across the country throughout the year to document the innovative initiatives developed with facility leaders, staff members, incarcerated people and community partners.

The first episode, “People-Centered Progress,” was filmed at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility in Westchester County, New York — the state’s only maximum-security prison for women. The episode examines how targeted programming and facility improvements are designed to support motherhood, education and reentry planning for the women incarcerated within the prison.

During the visit, New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Commissioner Dan Martuscello discussed the facility’s nursery program, described as the nation’s oldest prison nursery. The 125-year-old program operates in partnership with Hour Children, a New York-based nonprofit created in the 1970s to help maintain parent-child connections when a mother is incarcerated.

Participating mothers receive parenting instruction, lactation support and access to social workers and doulas. Some doulas are incarcerated themselves, earning certification through training offered within the program. The facility also offers activities intended to build routines and therapeutic skills, including art-based programming, quilting and horticulture-focused learning.

Martuscello also pointed to wraparound services available at Bedford Hills, including career preparation, housing support and medical services. Educational offerings are delivered in part through Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison, a nonprofit that supports academic pathways ranging from high school equivalency through advanced degrees. The program also includes peer support, with degree earners able to serve as ambassadors to help other students navigate coursework and goals.

Throughout the episode, staff and participants emphasize community as a driver of engagement — from mothers supporting mothers to student ambassadors supporting students — and note that collaborative programming can help narrow the perceived divide between staff and the incarcerated population.

The first episode is now available through Correctional News. The second installment will feature the “Little Scandinavia” unit at the State Correctional Institution–Chester in Pennsylvania, with additional episodes planned through 2026.

Subscribe to Correctional News today to receive updates as new episodes are released.

Correctional News also thanks the premiere episode sponsors: Hour Children, Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison and ModCorr.