An Alternative to Mother and Infants Behind Bars

Abstract

The number of women in United States prisons has increased, with the most rapid growth among women of childbearing age. Detrimental effects on maternal-infant attachment have been shown to exist when mothers and infants are separated at birth. The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the impact of an out-of-prison nursery program, Baby and Mother Bonding Initiative (BAMBI), on maternal-infant attachment and nurturing competencies among women who gave birth while incarcerated. A sample of 41 participants was recruited through a “Closed” BAMBI Alumni Facebook page and nonprobability snowball sampling. Participants were surveyed, and responses were submitted online or via mail. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation coefficients, multiple regression, and logistic regression. Results indicated that the number of children living in the mother's household was a significant predictor of positive maternal nurturance. Inversely, the high number of children in the household was the most significant predictor of increased risk for infants to have insecure attachment to mothers. As the number of women giving birth in prisons continues to trend upward, the need for more programs to promote best outcomes for both mother and infants is crucial.

A rapid review of the evidence on models of service delivery for correctional centre-based mothers and children’s units: does our approach need to change?

“…The impact of this programme which provided participants with closer proximity to community warrants further exploration as an alternative model for prisonbased M&Cs, as such a model would better support postsentence reintegration. 64 The long-term health impacts of M&Cs are unknown, however, previous studies on mother and child separation due to incarceration suggest that there may be longterm health impacts for children 65 66 and mothers. 65 67 68 While M&Cs seek to prevent this separation it is likely that there may be unintended consequences for M&C. Appropriate resourcing to provide commensurate healthcare, including mental health services, for M&C within an M&C is essential in minimising unintended harm and aligns with a human rights-based approach.…”

What is Known About Reproductive Autonomy Among Justice-Involved Black Women?: A Scoping Review

“…Although prisons, jails, and probation departments do not systematically track pregnancy rates or birth outcomes, a 2019 national study found that 1 in 25 women entering prison was pregnant (Sufrin et al, 2017(Sufrin et al, , 2019. Following birth, most incarcerated Black women experience the abrupt removal and separation from their biological children (Kwarteng-Amaning et al, 2019;Shlafer et al, 2019). Recently, there have been attempts to keep incarcerated mothers and their children together, with 12 states having policies that offer alternatives to incarceration that include prison nursery programs, pretrial diversion, and communitybased reintegration programs (Kwarteng-Amaning et al, 2019;Pendleton et al, 2022;Shlafer et al, 2019).…”