Since the beginning of the War on Drugs, the number of women in U.S. prisons has grown over 800%. The majority are mothers.

​In a Midwestern state caught between harsh drug sentencing and rising incarceration for women, three mothers, Tomika, Lydia, and Amanda, return home from prison and rebuild their lives after being separated from their children for years. 

Their stories overlap at a new re-entry programme for women, run by Malika, an advocate formerly incarcerated in the same prison. Filmed over three and a half years, Apart traces their steps as they reconstruct lives derailed by drugs and prison. 

At its heart, Apart is a family story. It’s the story of separation, loss and survival. But it's also a story of women helping each other return to their communities, a story of love and reunion. Amanda, Tomika, and Lydia are three women among millions who are fighting to rebuild their lives after prison, as women are now the fastest-growing population in the U.S. criminal justice system.