The Story Behind ‘Prison Stories’

Producer Francine LeFrak has devoted the past two years to “Prison Stories: Women on the Inside.”

HBO’s 90-minute special consists of three short films.

“I think they came out beautifully,” LeFrak said. “It’s going to be on the night before the Super Bowl. It’s going to be cold out and people will be waiting to see ‘Prison Stories.’

The trilogy marks the first venture into television for LeFrak, who has made her mark as the producer of Broadway hits, including the Tony-winning musical “9.”

“I had read articles about women in prison and became fascinated by the subject,” she said. “I was interested in the trilogy format because HBO had done an incredible one with ‘Vietnam War Stories’ (August, 1987). The issues facing women in prison for me was sort of a similar franchise as ‘War Stories.’

LeFrak said the series couldn’t have been made for network television. “It wouldn’t tackle these gritty, powerful, dangerous stories,” she said.

“I don’t think people realize the tragedy of mothers being in prison and what happens to the children. When women are in prison, the children are the ones that suffer. Children who are born in prison and are farmed out to foster homes, relatives or some kind of situation.”

LeFrak did a tremendous amount of research, visiting Bayview Prison in Manhattan and the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility in New York. “That is where Jean Harris is,” LeFrak said. “She is the star prisoner. I think it was really educational and I really learned a lot from it. A very fine line separates us from these women.”

She also made sure all the writers, directors and stars of the series visited prison. “Everybody went to prison,” she said. “Once they agreed to do the show, they got a packet of material. No one was exempt.”

LeFrak hired the warden from Bedford Hills to be the technical adviser on the set. “We also had a woman who was on parole from Chino who was one of the experts,” she said. “We wanted it to be accurate and authentic. What was strange is that we had New York prison uniforms and police uniforms and the extras looked so real, you would forget that it wasn’t real.”

The segments of HBO’s “Prison Stories: Women on the Inside”:

“Esperanza”

Stars Rachel Ticotin (“Total Recall”) and Talisa Soto (“Licence to Kill”). Written by Martin Jones and directed by Donna Deitch (“Desert Hearts,” “Women of Brewster Place”).

“Parole Board”

Stars Lolita Davidovich (“Blaze”). Written by Marlane Meyer and directed by Joan Micklin Silver (“Crossing Delancey,” “Hester Street”).

“New Chicks”

Stars Rae Dawn Chong (“Soul Man”), Annabella Sciorra (“Reversal of Fortune”) and Grace Zabriskie (“Twin Peaks”). Written by Jule Selbo, Martin Jones and Dick Beebe and directed by Penelope Spheeris (“The Decline of Western Civilization”)