ARDMORE, OK - Studies shows Oklahoma imprisons more women than any other state in the country. The state also ranks fourth in the US for the number of men behind bars, but what about the children left behind after their arrests? Sara Humphrey spoke with state lawmakers and tells us how they plan to help children of the incarcerated.

A study of incarcerated women shows more than 85 percent of women in prison have suffered some type of abuse in their life.

Alyssa, who's asked us not to show her face or use her name is one of them.

"I grew up in an abusive home," Alyssa said. "My sister and I were sexually abused. She was 3, I was 5 when everything started. My mother knew about the abuse never did anything."

Alyssa worked for years to recover from the abuse but she said it all came back to her after the birth of her second child.

"I had my son and it was at the hospital when I started having nightmares and flashbacks from all the abuse and just like some people would drink or do drugs, I shopped and started spending money," she said. "After 2 years I had embezzled $527,000."

After turning herself in, Alyssa spent eighteen months in a federal women's prison in Fort Worth, Texas.

While behind bars, Alyssa and her husband divorced. She said the pain from the divorce was nothing compared to the loss of her children.

"The hardest thing would be you would leave visitation and their dad is carrying them away and they are holding their hands out over their shoulder with tears running down their face screaming and there's nothing you can do you can't hold them you cant hug them you can't comfort them you have to stay there."

The Children of Incarcerated Parents Task Force reports that for 26,000 children in Oklahoma have one or both parents in a state prison.

Sixty percent of those children wind up incarcerated themselves.

Lawmakers formed the Children of Incarcerated Parents Task Force hoping to break the cycle.

Task force member and Oklahoma State Representative Jeannie McDaniel said, "We know they like to be in touch with them. These kids are proud of their parents and they want their parents to be proud of them. Despite bad choices, sad things happen in the families, it's still a father and mother and we recognize that."

The task force recommends more interaction between the incarcerated parent and the child and a parental education class before parents are released from prison.

"From the time the parent is arrested and handcuffed and put in a police car in front of the child, will that child in later years when they need help call the police? We are looking at how those relationships work," McDaniel said.

Members of the task force say these children are often the forgotten victim in the crime.

Alyssa has been out of prison for five years and now works as an accountant in Oklahoma City.

She also speaks to other incarcerated woman to remind them that she was once in their shoes.

"it is so hard as a parent to go to your children and say 'I was wrong and I know I messed things up,' but I think that is one of the keys in rebuilding relationships," Alyssa said. "The one thing that I would like for people to realize is that sometimes good people make bad choices and they deserve second chances."