Mothering Behind Bars: Role of Contact Maintenance Programs on the Mothering Identity of Incarcerated Women

• In Event: Poster Session

Abstract

The number of women incarcerated within the U.S. prison system has been increasing in recent years. Coinciding with this rise in the incarceration rate for women, there has been increasing concern regarding women parenting behind bars and how incarceration impacts a woman’s identity as a mother. The purpose of this paper is to examine the connection between participation in contact maintenance programs at a Midwestern women’s correctional facility and their resulting impact on identity work. Individual interviews were conducted with 30 incarcerated mothers involved in contact maintenance programs designed to facilitate improved inmate-child contact and 5 administrative personnel. Results revealed that participation in contact maintenance programs incarcerated mothers assists mothers in developing a more pro-social image of themselves as ‘good mothers,’ which may lay the groundwork for successful parenting post-release.

Authors

• Rebecca Brown, Kansas State University

• Lisa Melander, Kansas State University