The tragedy of the babies raised behind bars: Moving portraits of the children of female inmates who grow up in South American jails until the age of four

They've done nothing to earn a prison sentence but the poverty and violence of jail are the first impressions scores of Argentinian children who are born in custody have of life.
A heart-wrenching collection of photographs has captured the South American women raising their children behind bars.

The number of women doing time in Argentina has skyrocketed in the past 20 years, and around a third of all female inmates, who are crammed into small complexes with poor facilities, arrive either pregnant or with young children, whom they are allowed to raise there until the age of four.

Locked up: Silvia Rodas, right, talks with her four-year-old daughter Anahi inside her cell at the Unidad (Unit) 33 prison in Los Hornos, near La Plata in October 17, 2007

Visit: Anahi, 9, right, plays with her mother Silvia Rodas, 25, left, during a visit to the prison where her mother is serving a 15-year sentence in Bahia Blanca October 14, 2012

Sad life: Four-year-old Milagros, pictured, peers at her mother Valeria Cigara, 28, who is currently in prison awaiting trial for robbery, in Magdalena August 19, 2012

The majority of the prisoners are doing time for drug trafficking, robbery or homicide, but their babies are innocent.
However, for many of them, the prison ends up being on their birth certificate, acting as a reminder of the life they were born into which, in most cases, follows them throughout their lives.

Photographer Carolina Camps shot a selection of women and the children they raised in prison for an eye-opening look at this difficult way of life.

She captured Sandra Valdez with her eight-month-old daughter Nicole at the Unidad prison in Los Hornos, near La Plata in 2007, and revisited the family late last year, in the slum on the outskirts of Buenos Aires where they live now.

Comfort: Sandra Valdez, with her eight-month-old daughter Nicole, looks through bars at the Unidad (Unit) 33 prison in Los Hornos, near La Plata October 13, 2007. For many of the women, their children are their only 'possessions'

Hard life: Prisoner Valeria Cigara, 28, looks out from the window of her cell where she is awaiting trial for her fourth case of robbery, in Magdalena August 21, 2012

Strange existence: Valeria Cigara, 28, left, who is currently in prison awaiting trial for robbery, plays with her four-year-old daughter Milagros in Magdalena, August 19, 2012

Valdez has nine children from three different relationships, and now lives with a fourth partner, receiving subsidies to help feed three of her youngest kids.

Valdez was pregnant with Nicole in 2006 when she was sentenced to two years in prison for selling drugs. She raised Nicole in prison until she was two when they left together.

Another mother, Silvia Rodas, was photographed in 2007 with her four-year-old daughter Anahi inside her cell at the same prison. Rodas was convicted of robbery and attempted homicide at the age of 19 and has since done stints in all the prisons in Buenos Aires province after being moved around due to bad conduct. She ended up in Bahia Blanca, the last prison that would accept her.

Behind bars: Valeria Cigara, 28, who is currently in prison awaiting trial for robbery, looks through the bars in Magdalena August 21, 2012

On the outside: Nicole, 5, right, grew up in prison with her mother Sandra Valdez, 40, but now lives in a slum in Buenos Aires September 11, 2012

Before: Valeria Cigara, pictured when she was pregnant with her first child Milagros in 2007, gave birth to and raised her daughter in the prison until she was two

Her daughter Anahi was three years old when she was convicted and lived in prison with her until she was five, a year longer than is usually allowed.

The forgotten children, as they have been called, are the only 'possession' permitted to these woman, who in many cases depend on the companionship of their little ones to help them forget where they are.

But the sad start to life the children receive is often the way it continues, as the experience of living in the lock up for years is something many of them find hard to shake.

House arrest: Julia Romero, who is currently under house arrest to serve the last 11 years of an 18-year sentence for homicide, poses with her then one-year-old son Lautaro inside a jail in Buenos Aires October 13, 2007

Now: Julia Romero, 42, right, is now raising her six-year-old son Lautaro, left, in their Buenos Aires home where she is under house arrest

Making do: Julia Romero, right, dresses her son Lautaro, 6, in their home in Buenos Aires, July 28, 2012. Romero survives by selling household items through the window of her kitchen 24 hours a day

Aunt: Jorgelina, sister of Valeria Cigara, 28, combs the hair of Valeria's four-year-old daughter Milagros in La Plata August 19, 2012

Visiting time: Four-year-old Milagros, left, her aunt Jorgelina, center, and her grandmother Silvia, right, arrive to visit Milagros' mother, Valeria Cigara, at a prison in Magdalena, August 19, 2012

Drugs: Jorgelina and her niece, four-year-old Milagros, whose mother Valeria Cigara, 28, is currently in prison awaiting trial for a fourth case of robbery, admits that she suffers from drug addiction

Home: Valeria Cigara, 28, who is currently in prison awaiting trial for robbery, takes a shower in Magdalena August 21, 2012

Playing around: Four-year-old Milagros puts on lipstick while her mother Valeria Cigara, 28, watches

Kiosk life: Julia Romero, 42, who is under house arrest to serve the last 11 years of an 18-year sentence for homicide, smokes inside her home in Buenos Aires August 10, 2012

Goodbye: Anahi, 9, hugs her mother Silvia Rodas, 25, after visiting her at the prison where she is serving a 15-year sentence, while a prison guard, right, stands nearby in Bahia Blanca October 14, 2012

Companionship: Silvia Rodas, 25, right, lies in bed with her girlfriend Yesica in their shared cell in Bahia Blanca, 350 miles south of the capital Buenos Aires

Lunch: Prisoner Silvia Rodas, right, has lunch with her daughter Anahi, 9, and her father Carlos, during a visit to the prison

Happy reunion: Prisoner Valeria Cigara, 28, right, hugs her four-year-old daughter Milagros during their visit

Police: Julia Romero, left, who is currently under house arrest serving the last 11 years of an 18-year sentence for homicide, is driven by a policeman to a courthouse in Buenos Aires, August 10, 2012

Love: Prisoner Silvia Rodas, left, dances with her daughter Anahi, 9, during a visit by Anahi to the prison where Rodas is serving a 15-year sentence for robbery and attempted homicide