In 2013, Robyn Allen received a 20-year sentence for trafficking in illegal drugs. She says she sold methamphetamine to support her family after a back injury left her without work. But the reasons Allen started using the drug run much deeper.
In spite of taking measures to reduce its long-standing record as the No. 1 incarcerator of women in the country, Oklahoma keeps locking up women at more than twice the national average. Oklahoma incarcerates 151 out of every 100,000 women, often given harsh sentences for nonviolent drug crimes. This has taken its toll on several generations of women in the state.
This was produced by the Glassbreaker Films initiative at The Center for Investigative Reporting. Glassbreaker Films aims to support women in documentary filmmaking and investigative journalism. The project is generously funded by the Helen Gurley Brown Foundation.
Credits:
Director/Producer: Emily Harger & Olivia Merrion
Reporter: Allison Herrera
Editor: Ziva Branstettor
Editor in Chief: Amy Pyle
Executive Producer: Amanda Pike
Senior Producer: Aubrey Aden-Buie
Coordinating Producer: Rachel de Leon