Chapter 10 Disrupted Mothering: Narratives of Mothers in Prison

Rethinking stories of transnational mothering in the context of international study

“…Feminist scholarship has often sought to emphasise the ways in which storied accounts of motherhood and mothering can enable women to make sense of their situations and (re)negotiate their roles as mothers (Lockwood, 2017(Lockwood, , 2018. Such stories implicitly communicate something about the tellers' identities as mothers; stories are chosen to convey how the teller wants to be understood and the ways in which they hope their lives will be recognised (Miller, 2017).…”

“…Culturally, politically and socially contextual, dominant narratives shape what we know of and what we can tell of motherhood and mothering (Lockwood, 2017(Lockwood, , 2018Miller, 2005).…”

“…As such, women's accounts of mothering often serve to emphasise their commitment to cultural, political and social norms (May, 2008) as violating these expectations can be strongly sanctioned (Paciulan and Preibisch, 2013). Therefore, negotiating what it means to be a 'good mother' and the ability to tell recognisable and coherent accounts of mothering is a necessary feature of storied motherhood (Lockwood, 2017(Lockwood, , 2018Miller, 2017;Millman, 2013;Smith, 2017). Often having little correspondence to mothers lived social realities, available narratives can exclude some women from what is considered 'good' or 'normative' mothering (Gustafson, 2005).…”

“…Often having little correspondence to mothers lived social realities, available narratives can exclude some women from what is considered 'good' or 'normative' mothering (Gustafson, 2005). A hierarchy of mothering is then created that serves to 'other' and stigmatise particular groups of women, constructing them as less capable and inappropriate mothers (Lockwood, 2017(Lockwood, , 2018. Where women's mothering role is inconsistent or incom-patible with cultural, political and social expectations, storytelling becomes a tool which enables women to actively shape and account for their situations, allowing them to present an acceptable self (May, 2008).…”

The Ties That Bind: Stories of Women in Prison Who Are Mothers to Older Adult Children

“…For some women, imprisonment may present the opportunity to repair and rebuild fractured relationships with their children; however, for many, being separated from their children is constructed as the most difficult aspect of imprisonment (Crewe, Hulley & Wright, 2017), with the potential to severely alter, disrupt or even terminate mothering (Lockwood, 2017;2018). Available research highlights the importance of mothering in relation to women's adjustment to and experiences of imprisonment and upon their rehabilitation, resettlement and potential reunification (Baldwin, 2017;Lockwood, 2017Lockwood, , 2018Shami and Kochal, 2008). However, consistent with prison policy and practice, available research tends to rely on narrow definitions that often construct motherhood in relation to younger children, under the age of 18 (Caddle and Crisp, 1997).…”