Georgia Women Prison Inmates and Their Families

• NCJ Number: 79468
• Author(s): J G Hadley
• Date Published: 1981
• Length: 116 pages
• Corporate Author: Georgia Dept of Offender Rehabilitation
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This paper presents the findings of a study of women inmates in Georgia prisons and their family relationships, particularly anxiety caused by separation from children, and was based on a 1981 survey of 296 inmates.

Abstract

A review of the literature on female inmates shows that separation from their families is a leading cause of anxiety, while other research indicates that breaking the bond between parent and child causes severe emotional stress for the child. To deal with these problems, the Georgia Department of Offender Rehabilitation requested a study of female prisoners. A survey instrument was tested on 37 inmates from 2 work release centers and then administered to 259 women incarcerated at the Middle Georgia Women's Unit in January 1981. The total sample constituted about 54 percent of Georgia's total female inmate population. Several survey questions assessed anxiety levels while others gathered data on demographic characteristics, family relationships, the children's caretaker, and frequency of visits with children. Official sources provided information on offense, sentencing, prison behavior, prior convictions, intelligence quotient scores, and educational levels. Over 82 percent of the women were under 40 years old and 196 were mothers of children under 18. The sample was evenly divided between blacks and whites. Over half the women were serving time for crimes of violence, while a third had been convicted of property crimes. Most women were relatively new to the prison system, and only 13 percent had a prior conviction. Anxiety was strongly correlated with the mother's ability to plan her children's caretaker, whether she would get her children back, and family's transportation problems in visting. The women generally felt that they had good relationships with their families, and the extended family was often the primary provider of child care. Because many children lived a considerable distance from the prison and visting hours were limited, transportation was viewed as a major problem in arranging family visits. Most inmates were not married at the time of the study, and relationships with husbands or boyfriends tended to deteriorate while they were incarcerated. The women favored special visiting hours for children and overnight visits at the prison. The survey instrument, statistical tables, and 26 references are appended.