Motherhood is never an easy thing; raising a kid in itself is such as huge task. What more if a mother will have to raise a child while in prison?
In the US, 80% of women in jail are moms. They are either pregnant or have delivered a baby in jail. However, the US prison system has a problem when it comes to providing incarcerated moms with basic health care. Aside from these, incarcerated moms face different problems regarding parenthood.
Giving birth in prison
The National Public Radio states that the US correctional system is not ready for many pregnant incarcerated women. Despite being stated in the constitution that all individuals in prison must be provided with adequate health care, this is not usually followed.
Hence, in every incarceration facility, the quality of health care provided to individuals varies. Some provide good health care services, while some might not. Other institutions even totally neglect pregnancy care for incarcerated women.
This is a big problem because annually, many women give birth in jail. In addition to the absence of proper health care, institutions do not also allow the presence of an incarcerated individual’s family or loved one while giving birth. When a woman gives birth, the only ones allowed to be present are prison guards and the medical personnel.
After giving birth, an incarcerated mom only has two days or less to spend with her born child. Usually, the child is transferred to foster care, but in some cases, living with the family member is permitted by the system.
Prison nursery programs
In some cases, prison nursery programs are offered to women with children. This is given to women who wish to take care of their children even while serving their sentence. However, not all women can avail of this program, there are limited slots, and there are requirements to qualify for the program.
For instance, an incarcerated woman must not have any record of child abuse, and her conviction must be nonviolent. At the same time, their sentence must be within 18 months of completion. Eighteen months is also the maximum allowable time a child can stay in prison with their mom.
Moms who get to avail of this program reap benefits not only for the child but also for parents. Women approved for the program get to have parenting classes and day-care services for the children while attending these classes. Some prisons also offer vocational programs that prepare these women once they end their sentence and return to the free world.
Aside from preparing these women once they leave prison, entering the prison nursery program helps develop the mother-child attachment bond. This bond is essential for the child’s development in the future. It helps a child’s psychological development and prevents psychological trauma with children separated from parents early in life.
Children with moms in jail
Children with parents in jail face a series of challenges regarding their mental health and social development. As mentioned above, children who get immediately separated from their parents after birth experience traumatic stress. This stress negatively impacts a child’s development.
The negative development of a child can be due to different reasons. Stress is one thing. Another reason is the lack of supervision and guidance of a parent. Having no parent to earn for the family and provide for the child’s needs can also give the child socioeconomic strain and big responsibilities they might not be ready to shoulder yet.
For these reasons, children suffer emotionally, mentally, and physically. It can even affect their performance in school. In addition, there is a social stigma that comes along with having a parent in prison. At the same time, a child might have experienced trauma during the arrest of their parent. The child might also be left in a community where violence, drug, and alcohol abuse are rampant.
Helping children with incarcerated parents
As more and more women are incarcerated, children are left alone, suffering the emotional, mental, and physical trauma of not having a parent to guide them. Hence, help and support from other people are necessary.
Professional school counselors, for one, have a role to play in these children’s lives. These counselors can provide guidance and support incarcerated parents cannot give at the moment. For those incarcerated parents who face termination of legal parental rights, the support of the state and federal systems is necessary.
But overall, there is nothing like the support given by a parent, most of all, a mother. Hence, if you’re a mom facing legal charges, it is best to employ the services of a bail bondsman to give you room to fight for your case and avoid incarceration.
