Originally, this feature film was intended to be a tele-movie made-for-television film. When the producers saw how well Amy Madigan played the title role, they released it in theaters, so that Amy Madigan had a chance at an Academy Award nomination. In the end, she wasn't nominated for this film, but a few years later, she was actually Oscar nominated for the picture Twice in a Lifetime (1985)).
The film's closing credits state: "We would like to thank the following for their cooperation: the Florida Motion Picture and T. V. Office, Ben Harris - Director; the Florida Department of Corrections; Louie L. Wainwright - Director; Superintendent of Broward Correctional Institute Robert Bohler; and the Correctional Officers and Inmates of Broward County Correctional Institute Broward County, Florida."
Producer Paul Maslansky hired Larry Peerce as the film's director based on the strength of his picture The Other Side of the Mountain (1975) after screening it.