Book review: Mothering Justice: Working with Mothers in Criminal and Social Justice Settings

Abstract

In Mothering Justice the mantra of child centredness is held up for closer inspection. Of course the well qualified academics and practitioners who author this book believe that a child's welfare is of the utmost importance. Where they differ, is in their belief that doing the best for the child always involves supporting the mother-child relationship as fully as it can be, wherever possible. The authors' biographies, which reveal varied, impressive achievements and skills, include their credentials as mothers. Lucy Baldwin, the editor, describes her experiences as a teenage single parent, recounting the support she received from two significant professionals, her midwife and health visitor; without them she feels her life may have been quite different. Sinead O'Malley's background is described as social worker, teacher, survivor and mother of a six-year-old boy.

Experiences of midwifery care in English prisons

“…The number of women being held in UK prisons in May 2022 was 3260 11 with approximately 600 pregnancies and 100 births occurring annually. 12 England has 12 prisons for women, six of which have a Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) located within the prison but separate from the main population. Following birth, women who have been allocated a place in a prison MBU return to the MBU with their babies.…”

Reproductive rights on the inside: A rapid evidence assessment of women’s experiences of reproductive healthcare and rights while in prison in England and Wales

“…Lack of access to suitable support and care during menstruation and to contraception counselling and services (including abortion), lack of specific care relating to gynaecological issues (including endometriosis, fibroids and heavy and painful periods, as well as cervical and ovarian cancer) and lack of consideration of the impact of menopause and perimenopause all indicate that the institution of prison is a site of State-perpetrated violence against women due to multiple rights violations. Furthermore, the evidence of the impact of imprisonment on experiences of pregnancy and childcare is so stark and damming that it raises questions as to whether pregnant women and mothers should face imprisonment at all (Baldwin, 2015;Lockwood, 2020;O'Malley and Baldwin, 2019). The fact that pregnant women were temporarily released from custody during the COVID pandemic due to the risk posed by the virus demonstrates that the State can take action to protect the welfare of pregnant women when it chooses to do so (MoJ, HMPPS and The Rt Hon Robert Buckland QC MP, 2020).…”

Gendered prisons, relationships and resettlement policies; three reasons for caution for imprisoned mothers

“…Overall, these transgressions are minimal as women comprise just five percent of the prison population in England and Wales, and are consistently a smaller prisoner population internationally (World Prison Brief, 2020). However, particular unease surrounds women in prison who have children (Carlen and Worrall, 2004;Corston, 2007;Baldwin, 2015;Lockwood, 2020). Gendered obligations, and socially expected roles pertaining to motherhood, fuel anxieties around maternal imprisonment; for instance, around childbearing and childrearing.…”

“…Concern about rehabilitation programmes post-release were shared by all five mothers and, with the funding landscape that is anticipated with the COVID-19 pandemic, there are likely more obstacles to accessing courses. Although much has been written about the gender-responsive approaches required for women in prison (Corston, 2007;Baldwin, 2015;Masson, 2019), the extent that appropriate support has been actioned is widely questioned. There is criticism regarding the application of promised change in the recent Female Offender Strategy (MoJ, 2018a) owing to funding deficits and resource allocation (Booth et al, 2018).…”

“…Their capacity to draw on relational and familial ties for resettlement purposes were laden with significant (and somewhat paradoxical) relational and structural obstacles. While there has been considerable research and policy interest with mothers in prison in recent years (Lockwood, 2020;Masson, 2019;Minson, 2018;Baldwin, 2015), directing attention towards this group of five mothers sheds light on the intricate web of relational ties for this under-theorised group.…”