Imprisoned Mothers

Punishing the Innocent? Considering the Impact of Imprisoning Mothers

Isla Masson, from the Kings College London, made a contribution to the 2012 Annual Conference of the European Society of Criminology, in the category “Crime and Society,” under the title “Punishing the Innocent? Considering the Impact of Imprisoning Mothers.”. Here is the abstract: Children of imprisoned mothers are among the most vulnerable of high-risk children in society. The literature indicates that separating a mother and a young child will affect the child’s attachment abilities. However it is argued that possibly adolescents will most feel the effects of their mother’s departure, as young children can form attachments to other caregivers, whereas adolescents have to deal with feelings of abandonment, shame and anger in addition to pre-existing risks in their lives. The timing of incarceration may also impact an adolescent’s key developmental tasks, and as such they are more likely to drop out of school and become involved in anti-social acts. This article intertwines existing literature with the voices and experiences of mothers who have served a short period in prison. with a greater understanding of the harm caused by separating a mother and an adolescent child, it is argued that more support can be offered to protect these already vulnerable children.[rtbs name=”criminology”]

Resources

See Also

Further Reading

• “Punishing the Innocent? Considering the Impact of Imprisoning Mothers.”, by Isla Masson (Proceedings)