By Teh Joo Lin

BEHIND bars are eight people who have been incarcerated through no fault of their own - and they are all below three years old.

These newborns, infants and toddlers are there because their mothers gave birth during their jail terms, but no one in the family can - or wants to - take care of the babies.

So they live with their mothers in their cells, eating and sleeping with them until these women have served their terms or when they hit the age of three - whichever is earlier.

Could prison stay stunt kids' growth?

WHEN former prison volunteer Lynn Yue taught a toddler to sing the nursery rhyme Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, the boy could only mumble the lyrics though he could carry the tune.

'I'll teach them shades and colours, but when they try to pronounce the words, the sounds come out very slurred,'' said the 33-year-old, who used flash cards and picture cards to stimulate the young minds.

Such experiences with prison babies have dismayed volunteers like her, who fear that life behind bars can stunt the children's long-term mental and social development.

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