Prison Baby is Deborah’s deeply personal and inspiring memoir about her difficult journey, from her birth in a federal prison, to self-acceptance in adulthood.

Born to a mother who struggles with chronic use of opioids, Deborah spent the first year of her life in incarceration, then placed into foster care until she was adopted into a permanent family.

Deborah survived developmental delays but struggled with medical and mental health challenges. Much like her birth mother, she slipped into struggles with chronic use of drugs and alcohol in her teens as a way to cope with loss, trauma, and sorrow.

Now clean and sober for over 20 years, Deborah shares her story, along with a curriculum of tools and life skills, of what it takes to reclaim a path of purpose in life and find redemption by working with people in prison for find freedom inside by making plans for life after prison.

In this companion to Prison Baby, Deborah writes about how she came to terms with the traumatic circumstances of her birth and dedicated her life to preparing incarcerated women for life after prison.

In Women Behind Bars, Deborah shares the stories of the women she’s met in prison and makes a powerful call to all of us to never stop looking for the humanity in others.

The stage adaptation of Prison Baby is currently being developed for the theater and as a screenplay for an upcoming film.