SM: Now you’re working with Oxygen on their documentary series Who Cares About Girls? What kinds of things are we going to see?

Lisa Ling: The first [show] airing on March 25 is about the impact that a mother’s incarceration has on her daughters. We have to admit, the mother has traditionally been the caregiver in the home and when that presence is away from the child, it has a more severe psychological impact on kids. In my opinion, the children of incarcerated people is one of the biggest crises that this country faces because, in an attempt to punish the parents, we end up punishing the children and that could really explode into a catastrophic problem.

SM: How did you get involved with the whole project?

Lisa Ling: This was the brainchild of Gerry [Geraldine] Laybourne, the head of Oxygen. I literally begged them to be a part of it because little girls are often the ones who suffer the most when there’s any kind of catastrophe or tragedy. They’re the ones whose voices are least often heard. This series is giving little girls a voice.