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The Pros And Cons Of Prison Nurseries

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Becoming a mother is one of the few joys in this world. Preparing for a child can be the happiest time in a woman’s life. Unfortunately, for incarcerate mothers/mothers to be, being pregnant in jail does not bring the same joy it would to an expectant mother who is outside the confines of a jail. Pregnant women who are incarcerated is a topic that is often overlooked, along with the care these women receive regarding their children. In correction facilities there are no daycare centers, no doctor appointments, and no mommy and me classes. Some facilities have made steps to accommodate and care for expecting mothers and mothers with young children inside of prison nurseries. A prison nursery is a small section within the correctional facilities …show more content…

According to Corrections.com, (2014) “the number of prison-based nursery programs is growing, but that such programs are still relatively rare, even though every state has seen a dramatic rise in its women’s prison population over the past three decades, only nine states have prison nursery programs in operation or under development” (p.1). The states that house prison nurseries include: New York, Nebraska, Washington, Ohio, Indiana, South Dakota, Illinois, West Virginia, and Wyoming. The requirements for nursery acceptance varies among these states. It also depends on the charges filed against the mother and whether the mother is eligible for parole within the set amount of months required for each state. In Nebraska and Ohio, the requirement for acceptance into the nursery programs is the same, however, the length of stay for the mother is different. Fox News (2016) stated that for both Ohio and Nebraska, “the mother must not be convicted of a violent felony and must be within three years of release to qualify”. Illinois and Indiana have similar requirements for acceptance. According to FOX news (2016) “In Indiana, women must be pregnant when taken into custody to be considered for the nursery program. No violent crime convictions or child abuse history. Must be within 18 months of release after birth to qualify.” (p.1). In Illinois Fox News states, “to qualify, the woman must be within two years of release after giving birth and have committed a nonviolent offense” (Fox News, 2016,

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so you see? They've already given up on that child!” (Newjack, page 233). A study done showed that over 40% of inmates end up back in jail (Travis, 2000). A big part of this is poverty.

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Key features of this change that can be found in other states child reform programs as well. The key features in the RC vs. Alabama contract are “commitments to “system investments” or infrastructure development such as equipment acquisition or training for sophisticated information processing systems; increase of caseworkers and supervisors, with a goal towards getting caseloads down to some benchmark and establishment of minimum qualifications for workers” (Noonan, K. G., Et al. 2009). There were also typically commitments “to monitor compliance with a series of procedural and documentation norms.” (Noonan, K. G., Et al, 2009). This approach also gives structure to three themes that have long defined the back ground legislation of the child welfare system.

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Granting children, the right to visit their incarcerated mothers is a contentious topic with both sides having strong claims and counterclaims. Terrance Bogans does an outstanding job in his essay, “Being Mommy Behind Bars: The Psychological Benefits of Child Visitation with Incarcerated Mothers” addressing why children should be allowed to visit their incarcerated mothers, citing many reasons and using many argumentative components. Bogans has an explicit thesis in the conclusion “Child visitation must be increased in order to alleviate the psychological strains that take place during incarceration” (15). Bogans uses this clearly stated thesis to tell his main point and to address his opposition. The author’s purpose is to convince readers that children and incarcerated mothers have a right to see each other and no one should stop that.

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She plans on keeping the medical card for the child after the adoption is finalized. Her annual income $103,000 total from State of Illinois Wages (Il Dept of Corrections) and Lakeland College (Part-time position). Her current employment is at the Illinois Dept of Corrections in the public service administrator as the health Care Unit Administrator. Her pervious employment for the last 20 years are as follows: 1985-1987, Wood River Township Hospital Nurses Aide- going to Nursing School; 1987-1992, Wood River Township Hospital-

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The Candidate, is a film about a young lawyer, Bill Mckay, who is involved with civil rights and has agreed to run for the United States Senate. However, Bill is not necessary interested in winning, but helping the people out. Flying all the way to California just to convince Bill Mckay to run for office is Marcus Lucas. Currently, there is no one to run against the current Republican incumbent, Crocker Jarmon. Not to mention that Bill is the son of previous California governor John Mckay.

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Reporter stated the following: The child is not in DHS custody. We make medical and school decisions. I met the mom this summer at WIC. The mom and her three kids lived with us this summer. The mom then moved in with her boyfriend.

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The women who have children are most likely go into foster care, which lead to the separation of families. Data proves “that a child with an incarcerated father is 4 times more likely to face foster system contact and 5 times more likely if the mother is incarcerated” (Raeder, 2012). When these children go into foster care women often lose contact of their children and even children who have multiple siblings get separated by them in foster care. In addition Kerman describes on mother’s day how there is large groups of families in the visiting room. Some of these women’s families “lacked the resources to come and visit even though many of them lived in New York City” (Kerman 2011).

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She has gotten away because she is pregnant, but stated above she still serves some time in jail (Broom). Being accused for

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The cradle to prison pipeline is a process in which specific newborns (as they age) will be arrested and will be sent to prison. Cradle to prison pipeline demonstrates the likelihood of the incarceration of Latinos and African Americans. The process has a minimal effect towards whites, but a significant effect towards Latinos and African Americans. Since many minorities live in poor neighborhoods, the cradle to pipeline method will more likely occur than whites living in wealthy neighborhoods. The cradle to prison pipeline is an example of regulating the poor and lower classes.

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A 2006 study supported the notion that greater exposure to childhood adverse situations were associated with behavioral problems as well as mental health problems (Daniel, 2007). Incarcerated women have a higher incidence of mental health disorders than the general population. For example, 12 percent of females in the general population have symptoms of a mental health disorder compared to 73 percent of females in state prison, 61 percent in federal prisons, and 75 percent in local jails (Daniel, 2007). Most incarcerated women do not receive treatment or assistance for these problems and are unlikely to meet goals of mental stability without the help of prison resources. Incarcerated women who have a mental health issue are unlikely to benefit from treatment programs so they usually don’t even bother because studies have shown the women who did receive treatment still engaged in behaviors that led to incarceration, implying that the current treatment programs are not

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Every year, 2 million children come into contact with the child welfare system due to investigations of parental abuse or neglect (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2004). A recent policy implemented by Anytown’s Department of Job and Family Services pertains to the issue of child endangerment. It states that, “any household having one or more documented offenses of domestic violence, child abuse, or drug or alcohol related offenses committed by the mother, father, guardian, and/ or caregiver, will result in the removal of any child or children from the home.” The child will be placed in the care of the state until documentation can be provided on the offender, whereas they are “offense free” for a period of no less than six

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The article said there are fewer women in prison than men, women account for only 7 percent. The prison system is designed for men and not won, and mothers of children need support at homes, not in prison. The article said

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As provided in the text, "In fact, nationwide, most women on death row are awaiting execution for a family crime involving an allegation of child abuse or domestic violence involving a male partner" (Stevenson 201). This shows that women are being arrested more and more for harming their children even though it may not be true. Also provided in the text, "Trina Garnett was the youngest of twelve children living in the poorest section of Chester, Pennsylvania just outside of Philadelphia. Chester had extraordinarily high rates of poverty, crime, and unemployment- and the worst-ranked public school system among Pennsylvania’s 501 districts, nearly 46 percent of the city’s children were living below the federal poverty level" (Stevenson 124). This shows that Trina grew up in a bad area and that the poverty she grew up in was horrible.

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So would a heroin addict be able to raise a baby correctly, while she is in prison? Maybe she feels like she can, so she will have the baby. But, if she feels she can not, she will not even have the choice to abort it because the government will not pay for it. Her child will end up in foster homes until they are eighteen and live a melancholy life with no family. Moreover, “Marie-Celeste Condon, a specialist in infant mental health and development at the University of Washington School of Social Work, supports this finding through her own research and involvement with the nursery in the Washington Corrections Center for Women.

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Children need to feel secure and loved and need supervision and guidance. If a parent cannot be present to care for and look after their children, it can cause the child to feel afraid and they may act out or behave in ways that they would not if the parent were living with them. Several studies have found that a significant number of children of incarcerated parents struggle with a variety of childhood problems that have long term implications for adult adjustment (Kjellstrand, 2012). Even if children visit parents in while they are incarcerated, the physical and emotional distance can become a strain on their relationship. I think more should be done to encourage courts to take families into consideration in sentencing and correctional facilities should have better resources for incarcerated parents to maintain healthy relationships with their children.

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