What to do with children born to women serving time is a social dilemma that tests even the most advanced prison regimes.
In Mexico, the authorities believe they are starting to deal with the problem head on, with some dramatic results.
They have started allowing babies born in jail to stay with their mothers until they are six years old.
Compare that to England or Scotland, where typically mothers can only keep their babies until they are 18 months old, and then only in exceptional circumstances.
Or Canada, where historically children have only been allowed to stay until they are around three years old.
Sweden has traditionally taken an even more restrictive view, not allowing any children to stay in jail, arguing prison is not the place for them.
In part it is because these countries have unsuitable jails that were not designed to house children, but there is also a view that women should forfeit their rights when they are convicted, including those of parenting.
Countries such as Bolivia and India do allow children to stay with their mothers until a similar age to those in Mexico, but the difference with the Mexican experience is the time and effort is devoted to the mothers as well.
Importance: This program of keeping children in jail until the age of six seems to have many benefits, however, these benefits are more aimed at the mother than the child. While keeping the child with the mother, there are less separation issues and a decrease in repeated crimes, is jail really the best place for a developing child to, well, develop? It will be interesting to see the ramifications of being born and raised in jail in the lives of these children.
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