“I’m very grateful to be here,” said Cayesha Shivers, 25, who held her three-month-old baby boy, Kori, as she sat in her cell. “Every mum here can agree with me. There’s nothing like being able to be there, hands on, and not just watching your child grow up through pictures, letters and phone calls.”

Many women who become incarcerated are often those who have already come from complexly adverse lives, having survived poverty, trauma, substance abuse, violence, and neglect, among other factors. The separation from an infant after birth has been cited by mothers as more traumatic than any other aspect of imprisonment (Greene, Haney, & Hurtado, 2000). From prison nursery programs, there is potential to break the cycle of trauma, poverty, and other circumstances which provide pathways to imprisonment. The women in the program participate in parenting and sometimes general education classes which build and strengthen the skills necessary to raise and support their children after release.

Currently, just 9 states offer pregnant women who are entering the prison system the opportunity to raise their child in a supported and dedicated nursery, which is separate from the general prison population. Pregnancy is not the only requirement for admittance into these programs, but is one among a varied list each facility abides by. Perhaps one of the most restrictive requirements is that the sentence of the offender be less than 36 months, but that is still not a guarantee that the child will be with the mother until her release. The states which have recognized the salience of prison nursery programs are those which address the evidence that supports the impacts of attachment theory, adverse childhood experiences, and the necessity of the mother-child bond to promote positive outcomes.

Although these programs are in place to support the development of parental skills, there are still many challenges to face once the mother and child are released. I considered this and found my research question:

Do women who participate in prison nursery programs feel prepared for motherhood post-release?

For those who do, perhaps there are learned or inherent coping strategies that can be integrated into the content of these programs to benefit others. By drawing information from women who are directly participating, more areas of need can be identified and provide insight for future curriculum and case management.

 
References:
Greene, S., Haney, C., Hurtado, A. (2000). Cycles of pain: Risk factors in the lives of  incarcerated      mothers and their children. Prison Journal, 80, 3. doi: 10.1177/0032885500080001001