Estranged mother and daughter meet again in prison

A mother and daughter who hadn't seen each other for 17 years met up when they were put in the same prison cell in Brazil.

Regina Claudia Ribeiro de Souza, 25, ran away from home when she was eight.

She didn't see her mother again until she was arrested for robbery and they ended up in the same cell in Sao Paulo's Pinheiros prison.

But they were separated again after four months when the mother, Marina Souza, who was arrested for drug dealing, was transferred to the state's women's prison.

Regina Claudia told Jornal da Tarde newspaper: "She took care of me in prison. She baked me cakes. We finally had time to get to know each other and we got very close."

Now Regina is campaigning for her mother to be sent back to Pinheiros prison so that they can be together again.

Pinheiros prison's director Maria da Penha said: "I will do my best to keep mother and daughter together."


Story filed: 15:11 Monday 6th October 2003