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

Abstract

The experience of imprisonment is different for women and men: women suffer more, and they also suffer in more distinctive ways. For mothers in prison, the major pains of imprisonment are related to their motherhood status; the so-called maternal pains of imprisonment. Studies on those who have experienced motherhood in prison focus primarily on female prisoners who have been separated from their children. We explored whether women who cohabit with their child(ren) in prison also experience maternal pains of imprisonment, and how these pains are shaped. We draw upon the results of two small-scale qualitative studies conducted in a prison nursery in Belgium. Interviews with cohabiting mothers in this nursery revealed that although the mothers recognized several advantages of cohabitation, they also experienced maternal pains of imprisonment. These pains were related to witnessing and worrying about their child’s pains of imprisonment; the restriction of maternal autonomy; the overwhelming responsibility for their child; and for women with long-term sentences, worrying about the inevitable separation from their child.

Navigating pregnancy and early motherhood in prison: a thematic analysis of mothers’ experiences

“…This study adds to existing debates on the co-placement of younger children with their mothers in prison. Though, most mothers in this study felt that residing together with their young child would address the negative impacts of separation and motivate them to change for a better future (Kennedy et al, 2020 ; Pendleton et al, 2020 ), they felt that prisons do not offer a healthy environment to help children grow to their full potential, which is consistent with other studies (Nuytiens & Jehaes, 2022 ; Walker et al, 2021 ). Similar to previous studies, this study concluded that mothers in prison felt disempowered and were unsure of how to consider their child’s “best interests” while making decisions about their care (Abbott et al, 2020 ; Baldwin, 2018 ).…”

“…Consistent with global figures, the number of women in prison in Australia has increased by 62% (3,292) compared to 2,030 in 2011, while Indigenous women make up 30% of the female prison population (Australian Bureau of Statistics [ABS], 2021 ). Though research on impact of maternal incarceration and mothering in prison is robust (e.g., Casey-Acevedo et al, 2004 ; Dowell et al, 2019 ; Goshin et al, 2014 ; Nuytiens & Jehaes, 2022 ), imprisoned mothers’ voices are rarely considered in such research. Mothers’ perspectives about the effectiveness of prison-based programs, including parenting programs, prison nursery programs, or health programs have been investigated (Bard et al, 2016 ; Kennedy et al, 2020 ;; Walker et al, 2014 ).…”

“…Keeping a young child with their mother in prison has been shown to have some positive impacts for both mothers and children, such as improved mother-child relationships, mental health, quality of life, and for mothers, improved rehabilitation and reduced reoffending (Dolan et al, 2019 ; Fritz & Whiteacre, 2016 ; Goshin et al, 2014 ; Paynter et al, 2020 ; Tuxhorn, 2021 ). Despite these benefits, there are mixed views regarding impact of the prison environment on growth and development of young children (Dolan et al, 2019 ; Kennedy et al, 2020 ; Nuytiens & Jehaes, 2022 ), as children’s home environment significantly affects their overall development (Yang et al, 2021 ).…”

“…Most studies are conducted in a few countries, predominantly the United States and the United Kingdom, and have several methodological limitations, such as non-standardised assessments, lack of comparison groups, and the absence of long-term follow-ups (Dodson et al, 2019 ; Shlonsky et al, 2016 ). Voices of imprisoned mothers are almost non-existent in this scholarly arena (Nuytiens & Jehaes, 2022 ). Where studies have been conducted, women are mostly asked to provide retrospective accounts of their perspectives towards some prison-based programs, particularly prison nursery or parenting programs (Baldwin et al, 2020 ; Lovell et al, 2022 ).…”

Mother-infant separations in prison: Why does context matter?

“…Separation as a 'pain of imprisonment' Sykes (1958) original conceptualisation of the 'pains of imprisonment' (p.64) has since been developed from a gender-informed perspective (Genders & Player, 1987;Carlen, 1988;Davidson & Chesney-Lind, 2009;Hannah-Moffat & Maurutto, 2010). Crewe et al (2017) coined the now widely used 'gendered pains of imprisonment'; Nuytiens and Jehaes (2020) discussed the more specific 'maternal pains of imprisonment' in their study of mothers in prison nurseries. Taking a contextual approach to imprisonment and separation involves considering the harm caused by imprisonment within both the prison context and the historical social contexts of women in prison.…”