Indigenous Carceral Motherhood: An Examination of Colonial, Patriarchal, and Neoliberal Control

Abstract


 
 
 Despite Canada’s international reputation as a world leader in women’s rights, its own policies and practices continue to target and discriminate against Indigenous women, particularly those who are entangled within the criminal (in)justice and child welfare systems (Monchalin 2016). This article synthesizes international research, with a primary focus on Canada, in order to theorize issues surrounding Indigenous women’s experiences of carceral motherhood. By drawing on critical feminist criminological and Indigenous feminist perspectives, I examine issues related to caretaking and incarceration, mothering from prison (visitations), mothering in prison (mother-child programs), and mothering after prison (parole). Despite rejecting the prison as a solution to “the crime problem,” I conclude by offering tentative recommendations on how to ameliorate Indigenous women’s experiences of carceral motherhood.
 
 

“This might be cliché, but it was a sense of family”: Gang involvement among Indigenous young adults and their search for attachment, community, and hope

“…One participant was moved in and out of seven different homes within the span of 1 year. Another participant's mother was also raised under government care, demonstrating the intergenerational nature of state involvement in Indigenous families (Scheuneman Scott, 2019). A common theme throughout the interviews was the attraction of gangs as a remedy to instability in their lives because of the ongoing legacies of colonization, community and family disruption and destruction.…”

A Thematic Analysis of Parenting Experiences of Women in Prison

“…Since most women in prison lacked protected, privileged, and insulated lives as children (Rodda & Beichner, 2017), their carceral motherhood is likely to be impacted by these experiences as they are likely to face mental health issues in addition to substance use during their incarceration (Rose & Lebel, 2017). Scott (2019) conceptualizes 'carceral motherhood' as a tripartite burden that requires incarcerated mothers to navigate (1) mothering from prison (to children outside prison), (2) mothering in prison (to children inside prison), and (3) mothering after prison (parole). For this study, 'carceral motherhood' refers to the practice of mothering under a sentence of incarceration (Scott, 2019, p.78).…”

“…Studies have noted that 'recovering mothering' might be a mammoth task (Williams et al, 2020) which involves renegotiating their mothering role as the most challenging task (Scott, 2019). Though the process and its ensuing challenges may be more pronounced in the 'mothering after prison' phase (Scott, 2019;Williams et al, 2020), the narratives indicate that the process started during prison visitations. Mothers balanced their perceptions of culpability (e.g., "but it's like who am I to tell him") with re-exercising parental authority (e.g., "…I know I am not there, but I am still your mom…").…”