Little Joy For Prisoners Despite Holiday Visits

TALLULAH, La. (AP) — What Terry Gains would really love to be doing for Christmas is standing in her kitchen smelling the pot of gumbo simmering on her stove, pecan and pumpkin pies cooling on her table, with her daughter watching for the chance to make an early run on the food.

Instead, Gains marked the holiday seven days early with her daughter, who is incarcerated in Tallulah, La., sitting at a metal table, drinking soft drinks and eating snacks from the machines along the wall.

Roxanne Gains, one of 1.6 million people who will spend the holidays behind bars, tries to make the best of it.

As she sat surrounded by her grandchildren, children, stepchildren, and other family, the 35-year-old said for the moment at least, it felt like Christmas to her.