Imprisoned Mothers: Should Contact with Children be Eliminated

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Imprisoned Mothers: Should Part of the Punishment Eliminate Communication with the Children?

“When my mother was sentenced, I felt I was sentenced. She was sentenced to prison, away from her kids and family. I was sentenced as a child-to be without my mother.” This quotation is part of a story of a young woman’s struggle with her mother being in prison. Separation from children is an issue that many female prisoners face. However, it’s not just the mothers who will suffer; we must also consider the children of these women. The children are often left to deal with many emotions ranging from anxiety to feelings of abandonment. If part of the sentence is no communication with the children, who is really being punished, the mother or the child?

Mothers in prison, with obvious limitations and restrictions, can still have a positive effect on their children. This can only happen if the lines of communication are able to be maintained. A child needs contact with the mother to keep their bond strong. When communication is able to be maintained, families can benefit by helping incarcerated mothers and their children cope with separation, providing incentives for the mothers to become better parents, and can make the transition into the family and society easier upon release.

One of the greatest stressors of women in prison is being apart from their children, Women inmates are more likely than fathers who are in prison to worry about the child’s living arrangements while they are serving their time. Women are usually the primary caregivers to their children before they enter the system, making the strain of separation difficult. Being able to communicate with each other, the mother and child are able to learn how to cope while b...

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...utside world is made easier. Some children’s lives have improved when they no longer communicate with the mother while incarcerated. However, we should review each case and keep the child’s best interest in mind.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Impact of of parental incarceration. (2003). Children of Prisoners Library(CPL 301).

Adalist-Estrin, A. (N.D.). Why maintain relationships? Children of Prisoners Library(CPL 102).

Banks, C. (2003). Women in prison: a reference handbook. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, Inc.

Bernstein, N. (2005). All alone in the world: children of the incarcerated. New York, New York, USA: The New Press.

Block, K. J. (1998). Girl scouts beyond bars: facilitating parent-child contact in correctional settings. Child Welfare, 77(5).

Hariston, C. (1998). Family ties during imprisonment:do they influence future criminal activity? Federal Probation, 52.

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