Sapkota Diksha, Dennison Susan, Allen Jyai, Gamble Jenny, Williams Corrie, Malope-Rwodzi Nomxolisi, Baar Laura, Ransley Janet, Renae McGee Tara
Griffith Criminology Institute, Griffith University Mount Gravatt Campus, 176 Messines Ridge Road, Mount Gravatt, Qld, Australia.
Transforming Maternity Care Collaborative, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Griffith University, Nathan, Australia.
Health Justice. 2022 Oct 29;10(1):32. doi: 10.1186/s40352-022-00196-4.
Maternal imprisonment negatively impacts mothers and their children and is likely to have lifelong and intergenerational sequelae. In many jurisdictions nationally and internationally, young children (usually those less than 5 years) can reside with their mothers in prison. However, there is considerable debate regarding the impact of prison environments on incarcerated mothers and their children who are born, and/or raised in prison. Research to date on the pregnancy and mothering experiences of imprisoned mothers and their preferences for care arrangements for their babies and young children is limited.
This study was part of the Transforming Corrections to Transform Lives project, in which workshops were conducted with imprisoned mothers to understand their needs while in custody and post-release, and the kind of supports and system changes that are required to meet those needs. Incarcerated mothers (n = 75) participated in seven workshops conducted across four Queensland prisons. Themes were generated through reflexive thematic analysis.
Three themes characterised mothers' experiences of being pregnant and undertaking a mothering role of a young child while in prison. First, for most mothers, imprisonment adds vulnerability and isolation during pregnancy and childbirth. Second, although mothers felt that residing together with their children in prison motivated them to change for a better future, they were concerned about the potential negative impact of the prison environment on the child's development. Lastly, most mothers voiced losing autonomy and agency to practice motherhood independently within custodial settings. Mothers expressed a need for the correctional system to be adapted, so it is better equipped to address the unique and additional needs of mothers with young children.
Mothers' experiences indicated that the correctional system and policies, which were predominantly designed for men, do not adequately address the varied and complex needs of pregnant women, mothers, and their young children. Imprisonment of pregnant women and mothers with young children should be the last resort, and they should be provided with holistic, individually tailored support, most preferably in community settings, to address their multiple intersecting needs.
母亲入狱会对母亲及其子女产生负面影响，且可能产生终身和代际后果。在许多国家和国际司法管辖区，幼儿（通常是5岁以下的儿童）可以与他们在监狱中的母亲住在一起。然而，关于监狱环境对在监狱中出生和/或长大的被监禁母亲及其子女的影响存在相当大的争议。迄今为止，关于被监禁母亲的怀孕和育儿经历以及她们对婴儿和幼儿护理安排的偏好的研究有限。
本研究是“改造惩教以改变生活”项目的一部分，该项目与被监禁母亲举办了研讨会，以了解她们在羁押期间和释放后的需求，以及满足这些需求所需的支持和系统变革。75名被监禁母亲参加了在昆士兰州四所监狱举办的七场研讨会。通过反思性主题分析得出主题。
三个主题刻画了母亲在狱中怀孕并承担幼儿育儿角色的经历。首先，对大多数母亲来说，入狱会在怀孕和分娩期间增加脆弱性和孤独感。其次，尽管母亲们认为在狱中与孩子住在一起促使她们为更美好的未来做出改变，但她们担心监狱环境对孩子发展可能产生负面影响。最后，大多数母亲表示在羁押环境中失去了独立履行母亲职责的自主权和能动性。母亲们表示需要调整惩教系统，使其更有能力满足有幼儿的母亲的独特和额外需求。
母亲们的经历表明，主要为男性设计的惩教系统和政策未能充分满足孕妇、母亲及其幼儿的各种复杂需求。监禁孕妇和有幼儿的母亲应作为最后手段，并且应该为她们提供全面的、个性化的支持，最理想的是在社区环境中，以满足她们多重交叉的需求。
