Fans of MTV's "Teen Mom" who recently tuned in to the season-four finale special noticed a significant absence: Amber Portwood was not in attendance. Instead of joining fellow cast mates Maci Bookout, Farrah Abraham and Catelynn Lowell in New York for an interview with host Dr. Drew Pinsky, Portwood was continuing to serve out her 5-year jail term inside the Rockville Correctional Facility in her home state of Indiana.
That doesn't mean we won't get to hear from Portwood -- MTV on Monday announced that it will premiere "Amber Behind Bars: An MTV Special" on Tuesday, Oct. 9. The special will consist of a half-hour interview with Pinsky and Portwood from the correctional facility where the two discuss what life has been like behind bars, her relationship with daughter Leah and ex-boyfriend Gary Shirley, and her hopes for the future. A press release from the network described it as an "honest look inside the intense ups and downs she's faced during this journey.
At the earlier reunion special, Pinsky read a statement from Portwood that read in part, "Right now I'm trying to figure out what I'm doing with my life. I guess I just got lost. I went to jail because I had an addiction to opiates. You live and you learn, and that's real. It's time for me to stop partying and realize that even though I'm 21, I'm not a normal 21-year-old -- I'm a mother. Which means I have to grow up quicker and start acting like a mother…. Right now my number one priority in life is dedicating my life to being sober, to being a sober person … I want to show everybody that I can do it, I can start living a straight life and getting my family back in order."
Portwood, 22, voluntarily chose in May to serve out her five-year jail sentence instead of complying with the terms of her court-ordered drug program after violating her probation stemming from a December 2011 arrest for drug possession.
Do you think getting her side of the story out while she's serving out her prison sentence is a good idea for Amber, or should she just quietly complete her term, staying out of the public eye completely? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.
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