Caught between the War on Drugs and federal adoption law, growing numbers of women prisoners are facing the permanent loss of their children. Karen knows that it was her own mistakes that got her into trouble: "I messed up," she admits.

She was arrested in 1999 for intent to manufacture methamphetamine, a charge that kept her in jail for three months.

Her son, then three months old, was placed in foster care. To get him back she would have to abide by a "reunification plan" that required parenting classes and regular drug testing after her release. For several months, Karen (who asked that her real name not be printed) progressed well, according to her lawyer.

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