Emotions behind Bars: The Regulation of Mothering in Argentine Jails

Abstract

P risons in Argentina are typically depicted as negative spaces of reclusion and social control characterized by appalling conditions and by the violence that state workers exercise on the bodies of detainees-characteristics altogether at odds with the notion that these institutions are mechanisms of social rehabilitation. 1 Yet prisons are also enmeshed in affective economies with complex ties to the nation as an imagined community. 2 Prisons and their inmates are targets of fear and retribution, just as they are evidence of failed social inclusion. With the dramatic increase in the number of women in federal prisons over the past two decades, Argentina has grappled with the sticky emotions of fear and rejection associated with imprisoned mothers and the intricate challenges posed by the incarceration of their children, who have committed no crimes. With the growing presence of migrant women in the prison population, the state also crafts punitive regimes that position these "other" mothers in an ambivalent relation to the gendered national collective. By connecting the sociology of emotion with the sociology of power relations, we analyze the penitentiary system as a multifaceted affective economy that produces and sustains boundaries of difference grounded in race, nationality, and gender through the regulation of mothering.Sara Ahmed ð2004Þ conceives affective economies as collective spaces in which emotions circulate without inhabiting any particular object, body, or sign. In the absence of any clearly identifiable source or goal, emotions can bind certain individuals to particular collectives ðusÞ by insinuating that others ðthemÞ provoke specific feelings such as anger or fear through their very nature or behavior. Structuring sentiments of belonging while demar-2 Benedict Anderson ð1991Þ understands nations as systems of representations through which people are able to imagine a shared experience of identification with an extended community.We would like to thank the Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales for allowing us to use the materials originally gathered during our research on the living conditions of women in federal prisons. We are also grateful for the helpful comments and suggestions of the two anonymous referees who read this article and the commitment of the Signs editorial team.1 See CELS ð2005Þ, Daroqui et al. ð2006Þ, PPN ð2008Þ, and DGN ð2009, 2010Þ.

When your child is your cellmate: The ‘maternal pains of imprisonment’ in a Belgian prison nursery

“…Interestingly, being aware of the child’s pains of imprisonment appeared to constitute an additional pain of imprisonment for the mothers. Echoing the findings of Freitas et al (2016) and Tabbush and Gentile (2013), several mothers recounted that prison, because of the ever-present noise and strict day schedule, was inappropriate for children and prevented them from leading a normal life. Our participants worried a lot about the pains of imprisonment their children experienced, the impact of daily life in prison and the possible damage this could cause.…”

“…For imprisoned mothers, ongoing concern about their children appears to be the dominant aspect of their prison lives. Mothering is a key aspect in many female prisoners’ emotional lives (Tabbush and Gentile, 2013). The major pain of imprisonment consists in the stripping away of their role as a mother, and the myriad of suffering related to the restrictions on their ability to fulfil their motherly obligations (Crewe et al, 2017; Forsyth, 2003; Hairston, 1991).…”

“…Despite these positive aspects, female prisoners who resided in prison with their child considered prison an inappropriate place to raise a child. They felt that the rigorous daily routine, the noisy and busy atmosphere, and the continuous presence of other detainees and staff were inappropriate and possibly stressful for their child(ren) (Freitas et al, 2016; Tabbush and Gentile, 2013). Some mothers also indicated that the available food was insufficient for a balanced diet (Casman et al, 2014).…”

Introduction

“…As women researchers have demonstrated, women prisoners in Latin America portray explicit and open resistances to the formal-penal institution. They organise prison strikes to defend their rights as women (Cacopardo & Malacalza, 2019), they put together collective claim actions (Bracco et al, 2021), and they mount protests to seek better conditions for their children in the prison (Tabbush & Gentile, 2013). Nonetheless, as the Argentinian carceral organisation Atrapamuros suggest, many times, women prisoners' agencies are less visible than those in men's prisons.…”

Lived Experiences of Incarcerated Mothers

“…The findings suggest that the stressor of maternal incarceration has reverberating consequences for family life. In various parts of the world, it is reported that there are mothers imprisoned such as in Australia (Luyt 2008;Tabbush & Gentile, 2013) and Israel (Shamai & Kochal, 2008).…”