NCJ Number
195613
Journal
Prison Journal Volume: 82 Issue: 2 Dated: June 2002 Pages: 234-268
Date Published
June 2002
Length
35 pages
Annotation
This study obtained data from a study conducted at three Montana female correctional facilities as well as from interviews with guardians ad litem for the purpose of determining the impact of various criminal justice policies on inmate mother-child relationships and on the social, emotional, and criminal problems of the children.
Abstract
The data presented in this paper were collected from two phases of the study. Phase 1 consisted of a survey administered to the women at the three correctional facilities. Once the women were administered the survey, they were divided into focus groups of five to nine women. Phase 2 of the study consisted of interviews with guardians ad litem, i.e., attorneys who represented children of imprisoned mothers and made custody recommendations to the court. The findings of the study were divided into four areas: pre-imprisonment parenting and current concerns; the problems of the inmate mother's children and the relationship with imprisonment; the intergenerational cycle of incarceration; and the legal issues that affected the mother-child relationships. The most significant finding of this study was that the majority of the inmate mothers would be reunited with their children, and many would not be able to succeed in living crime-free and drug-free lives or maintaining stable relationships with their children. The study also found the beginning of a cycle of repeated incarcerations of inmate mothers and an intergenerational cycle of incarceration. To address this, the author recommends that schools provide life-skills training to all children; the creation of viable prevention models that target at-risk women and their children; the establishment of a correctional counseling unit within probation and parole departments; the development of a prison female treatment model that focuses not only on the current problems but also on the pre-existing problems; the creation of a postrelease program designed to enhance parenting skills and foster reunification where appropriate; and the enactment of State laws that better protect the parental rights of inmate mothers and the rights of their children. Finally, the author suggests that if criminal justice systems continue to use the current sentencing and treatment policies based on a pure crime control model, instead of establishing appropriate rehabilitative policies and interventions that are designed to prevent reincarcerations, the continuation of the intergenerational cycle of incarceration is inevitable. 44 notes and 72 references