WOMEN IN PRISON

Family 

 

IMPACT ON THE FAMILY AND CHILDREN OF INCARCERATED MOTHERS:

• The U.S Department of Justice reported that the number if children with a mother in prison increased by 98% between 1991 and 1999

 

COMMON QUESTIONS:

Who is more likely to be a child of an incarcerated mother?

• Children of color are far more likely than white children to have a parent in prison

 

Who is usually in charge of caring for the child while the mother is incarcerated?

• About 20% of children of incarcerated mothers end up living with their fathers, about 60% live with grandmothers, and about 10-15% are put into foster care

• Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997: terminates the rights in cases where children have been in foster care for 15 months (out of the previous 22 months) it was created in order to improve the safety of children, promote adoptions and other permanent homes for children, and to support families​

• A majority of women in the criminal justice system are the primary custodial parents for their young children

• Many women with children fear of losing custody while incarcerated; they experience extreme guilt, and anxiety during incarceration

 

How often do incarcerated mothers get to see their children?

• Over half of female prisoners have never had a visit from their children

• One in three mothers has never spoken with her children by phone while

       incarcerated

• Women who are able to have contact with their children

       and family while incarcerated are less likely to recidivate;

       however this can be difficult because there are not many

       women's prisons which makes it difficult to have visitations

• About 78% of women in prison have children, but because

       they are incarcerated in federal prisons out of state or in

       state prisons in remote towns, less than half of them are

       able to see their children and families

• A majority of parents in state and federal prisons are held over

       100 miles from their prior residence; in federal prisons 43% of

       parents are held over 500 miles away from their last home

• There are fewer prisons for women than there are for men, mothers tend to be incarcerated farther away from their children, thus making visits and sustained contact and communication with their children less likely

 

What is the impact on children?

• Children of incarcerated parents are up to 6x more likely to be incarcerated themselves, than those who do not have an incarcerated parents

• Parental incarceration correlates with children’s failure of courses, and dropping out of school

• Children of incarcerated mothers are at an increased risk of multiple problems including: 

  • Behavioral and emotional problems

  • Problems at school

  • Fear, anxiety, anger, and guilt

  • Abuse of chemicals at a young age

  • Early sexual activity

  • Teen pregnancy

  • Truancy and juvenile delinquency