NCJ Number
226285
Journal
The Prison Journal Volume: 89 Issue: 1 Dated: March 2009 Pages: 35S-53S
Date Published
March 2009
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This article presents a historical review and discussion of programs for incarcerated mothers and their children in the United States.
Abstract
Recurring themes in the history of these programs include the pervasive effects of race and class; the state’s attempts to regulate and control women’s minds and bodies; and the persistent dilemmas posed by the presence of mothers and, at times, children in prison. The emergence of mother-and-child programs in the United States dates back to early-19th-century England and a program for incarcerated mothers and their children at Newgate Gaol in London, where, women were allowed to keep their children with them by the early 1800s. Early in the history of the United States, women’s lower representation in prison created confusion about housing and managing them. In the 1800s, some States had laws that allowed children to remain with their mothers in prisons and jails, but these laws were often ignored. Between 1930 and 1960, children were allowed to stay with their mothers at the Federal prison in Alderson. The era of nurseries in prisons ended in the 1960s, however, when Federal judges became concerned about the number of babies born at Alderson. An adverse investigation on the conditions for children raised by their mothers in prison started the end of having babies and children stay with their mothers in most prisons. The increasing number of incarcerated women between 1986 and 2006, however, has reawakened interest in the problem of mothers in prison. Substance abuse treatment programs have been linked to the development of parenting programs, the establishment of special visitation areas and programs for mothers and their children, and the reintroduction of prison nurseries. 2 notes and 65 references