Dubois Theory Of Women In Prison
This paper will go into great details about how mothers who are in the U.S. Justice Department’s Bureau of Prison are torn away from their family and after serving their time placed back into the community. When talking about women in prison most research forget the effect on the children and their families. The first half of the paper will discuss women behind bars and how leaving their families and children can affect them and the second half of the paper will discuss the Dubois theory of double consciousness and the women transitioning into the free world. “Although they constitute only 7.5% of inmates (West & Sabol, 2009), female offenders are the fastest growing population in the America’s prisons today” (Celinska and Siegal, 2010, p.
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447). This goes to show that every year these female offenders are mothers which increase at least 131% since 1991. There is a gap between these female offenders and their children.
Concrete Walls What really placed these women behind bars? During the nineteenth century in England and the United States placed both women and males were placed in the same prison system; however, that only led to sexual assault and rape of women from the male prison and/or guards (Ross and Richard, 2002, p. 145). An outcome for the sexual assault and rape only lead to a prison built only for women and this prison were basically staffed by woman correctional officers. According to Ross and Richard (2002), women makes up nearly 10 percent of the U.S. prison population (p. 145). A lot of women enter the prison system from countless misdemeanors such as writing bad checks, small drug possession, prostitution, and even credit card fraud. However, some women also enter the prison system from killing a significant other, their child, their father, kidnapping or helping in the kidnapping, or being a serial killer.
There leave several problems within the prison system because today’s prison system is not concerned about helping these women transition back into the world. Most women prisoners are lucky if they even get an education better yet a GED, General Education Development. This GED is just like a high school diploma; however, most women prisoners hardly ever receive these diplomas because the education within the prison is short. According to Mageehon (2006), education is a gateway to liberation, especially if it is conducted in such a way that it empowers students to take control of their lives, a key factor in rehabilitation” (p. 146). The Federal Bureau of Prisons now is not built around rehabilitation as stated before but is built around keeping criminals away and protecting the public. When a study took place in 2006 with nine women, different races, and different education levels, and a different range of ages they talked about what made a teacher “good”. Within this halfway house and jail/prison, a lot of studies stated that in order for these GED and ABE, Adult Basic Education, to grow in the prison system these teachers must learn to work one-on-one with these women to help them back into society. The power aspect comes from being that if the women convict see that they are more than likely overpowered by the teacher than they are less likely to form a connection.
Society does not see men or women convicts receiving an education. This is where the fundamental attribution error comes into play. Fundamental attribution error is defined as “The tendency to overemphasize personality in making attributions” (DeLamater, Myers, and Collet, 2015, p. 352-353). Once a women enter prison they lose the custody of their children and then they become second-hand citizens. These women cannot vote once they get out, they are limited to an education, they do not have much money or a place to stay once they are released from jail. Inside jail/prison, women normally do work called vocational training and these women jobs can be anything from working in the kitchen, working in the laundry room, grounds keeping, mopping cell floors, working in the library, or even the sex-role based positions. According to Ross and Richards (2006), these women sex-roles based positions can be anywhere from cosmetologist, seamstress, domestic servant, and even in the state of Wisconsin, which is a state ran off of lottery tickets. A lot of these systems including airlines and other customer services uses these women to run their business, but these women are barely paid for their services (148). A lot of people question the security of convicts working with people credit card number; however, these programs are on in the minimum security prison for women. However, society assumes that these people in need well these women convicts are to blame for their situation while not realizing what placed these women in the position that they are now in.
How many women in prison are mothers? Research have said that the number of children with a mother in prison more than doubled by 131% since 1991 (Celinska, Siegel, 2010, p. 448). How do these women cope with losing their children? I believe that if a child goes to visit their incarcerated mother, make phone calls, and send letters, and pictures along with the progress of the child, then that mother is more than likely to cope better than mothers who avoid their children. Also, those phone calls and everything else helps parents to adjust to their new environment. Most women children are placed in kinship care or in foster care. When a mother is incarcerated a child is placed in either kinship care or foster care as stated above. However, if a woman is sentenced to less than a year and follow her concurrent plan that the social worker gave her in order to regain her custody back for her child or children. Then more than likely she will receive her children back, now, if a woman is sentenced to more than 18 months her rights as parents are terminated and her child or children are up for adoption. Because the main goal for children that are placed in foster care is stability. A lot of mothers blame themselves for the loss of their children. Even though both males and females who are partners get incarcerated, females are the parents that face the worst punishment because they have to worry about who is taking care of their child or children and if they are given the proper care. Whereas, males may have their girlfriend or wife take care of the children.
Attachment is defined as a warm, close relationship with an adult who provides an infant with a sense of security and stimulation (DeLamater, Myers, and Collett, 2008, p.611). Mothers in prison feel grief because they know that there is a possibility that they may have lost their child or children. These women are more concerned about if they are placed outside the state and if transportation is available for their children to see them. Also, if their child/ children are adopted then it became harder for these women to see Chapter 3 in Child Welfare and Family Services Policies and Practice states that “Attachment starts with the loving relationship that infants first develop with their primary caregiver, usually the mother, and then grows over time to include other family members and a wider circle of relatives and friends (Whitelaw Downs, Moore, and McFadden, 2009, p. 85). The bigger problem at hand is that mothers that are incarcerated are more worried about maintaining their ability to hold the name of being a “good” mother while in jail and keeping that title once they were released from jail. However, their split identity did not allow this to happen because society for one would not allow because they know what these women did. These ex-con mothers had to put on an identity with society, so that they would be treated equally, but with their family, they are allowed to show their true identity that they hide from society.
Welcome to the Free World
Before we take a step into the free world, let’s have a look at the effects on the children. A lot of children with incarcerated parents have been exposed to things such as substance abuse, drugs, neglect, and even poverty. Those are just a few of the risk factors. Johnson and Waldfogel (2004) stated that of the 1.3 million children of the state and federal inmates in 1997, an estimated 24,000 were in foster care, and 155, 049 were in the care of their grandparents (p.97). However, a lot of the children that are not reported are either grown, living with the other parent or adopted by a different family. A small downside about a child being adopted while their mother is in prison is the fact that these children are moved away from their families and their mothers may never see their children ever again because of the distance. When an inmate is reunited with their family and they develop a healthier relationship, they are more than likely never to return back to prison because of their stable family. Also, when these inmates are released with a health stable family they are less likely to depend on the government for assistance. Often time these women are re-entering back into the community with any help such as funds, housing, education, or jobs. So, often they have to depend on the government to help them back into society. Arditti (2006) made it clear that women’s need to maintain bonds with children during incarceration and after in order to avoid the risks of stress, anxiety, and/or substance abuse (p. 104). So, what about the children who are out to defend themselves? Do they become another stereotype and enter the prison system because they don't have that bond with their parents? A lot of these children then turn to the streets and other gang organization to feel that family love that they tend to lack from their parents.
As inmates enter into the prison system they bring certain habits along with them as they transition into and out of jail. These are known as habitus. Ross and Richard (2009), wrote that the old convicts would tell the new inmates that they would have to give up the things they cherished the most. They would also tell them that they could no longer control the outside world (p. 110). In order, to survive in prison these mothers have to put the thought of being a mother behind them and focus on surviving their time on the inside. So, the thought of taking care of their children or supporting them is now out the window. Now, all these mothers have is pictures and memories of their children and family.
Du Bois double theory is a great example for mothers who are transitioning back into the free world once again.
The veil is seen with society and the inmate as a whole. Ex-inmates are the ones under the veil because society tries to pretend that these are not there. Society know inmates are there, but do not know the inmate’s culture; however, the inmates do understand the society’s culture because they were once there before. With these inmates having the second sight they have more of advance in their society because they know both worlds. Even though their lifestyles are different they have an insight of the prison system and of the free world. Second sight is an inmate and someone who is a part of society mixed into one. This person has two viewpoints, two souls, two thoughts, and two different ways to thrive in both environments. A quote from Du Bois’ book The Souls of Black Folks gave a great definition of second sight: “A world which yields him no true self-consciousness, but only lets him see himself through the revelation of the other world” (1903). Ex-inmates are often torn apart by those opposite forces that society has created from them. Here is where the actually thought process comes into place for these inmates. However, these inmates now have to live in different worlds with a totally different background and culture that they have to hide in order to be accepted into the free world. The Souls of Black Folks define double consciousness as “self of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others, of measuring one’s soul by the tape of the world that looks on in amused contempt and pity” (Du Bois,
1903).
Conclusion
There is a gap between female offenders and their children and how they contain a connection throughout the parent's’ sentence. Many studies do not focus on these women, but these researchers do notice there is a social problem on the rise. There are different policies that most states have, but they tend to fail the report. Du Bois double theory goes into great details about how these ex-cons view life once they are released from jail/prison. Overall, the transition for women inmates can be harder than ever because sometimes keeping family ties and children attachment may be harder than expected.
447). This goes to show that every year these female offenders are mothers which increase at least 131% since 1991. There is a gap between these female offenders and their children.
Concrete Walls What really placed these women behind bars? During the nineteenth century in England and the United States placed both women and males were placed in the same prison system; however, that only led to sexual assault and rape of women from the male prison and/or guards (Ross and Richard, 2002, p. 145). An outcome for the sexual assault and rape only lead to a prison built only for women and this prison were basically staffed by woman correctional officers. According to Ross and Richard (2002), women makes up nearly 10 percent of the U.S. prison population (p. 145). A lot of women enter the prison system from countless misdemeanors such as writing bad checks, small drug possession, prostitution, and even credit card fraud. However, some women also enter the prison system from killing a significant other, their child, their father, kidnapping or helping in the kidnapping, or being a serial killer.
There leave several problems within the prison system because today’s prison system is not concerned about helping these women transition back into the world. Most women prisoners are lucky if they even get an education better yet a GED, General Education Development. This GED is just like a high school diploma; however, most women prisoners hardly ever receive these diplomas because the education within the prison is short. According to Mageehon (2006), education is a gateway to liberation, especially if it is conducted in such a way that it empowers students to take control of their lives, a key factor in rehabilitation” (p. 146). The Federal Bureau of Prisons now is not built around rehabilitation as stated before but is built around keeping criminals away and protecting the public. When a study took place in 2006 with nine women, different races, and different education levels, and a different range of ages they talked about what made a teacher “good”. Within this halfway house and jail/prison, a lot of studies stated that in order for these GED and ABE, Adult Basic Education, to grow in the prison system these teachers must learn to work one-on-one with these women to help them back into society. The power aspect comes from being that if the women convict see that they are more than likely overpowered by the teacher than they are less likely to form a connection.
Society does not see men or women convicts receiving an education. This is where the fundamental attribution error comes into play. Fundamental attribution error is defined as “The tendency to overemphasize personality in making attributions” (DeLamater, Myers, and Collet, 2015, p. 352-353). Once a women enter prison they lose the custody of their children and then they become second-hand citizens. These women cannot vote once they get out, they are limited to an education, they do not have much money or a place to stay once they are released from jail. Inside jail/prison, women normally do work called vocational training and these women jobs can be anything from working in the kitchen, working in the laundry room, grounds keeping, mopping cell floors, working in the library, or even the sex-role based positions. According to Ross and Richards (2006), these women sex-roles based positions can be anywhere from cosmetologist, seamstress, domestic servant, and even in the state of Wisconsin, which is a state ran off of lottery tickets. A lot of these systems including airlines and other customer services uses these women to run their business, but these women are barely paid for their services (148). A lot of people question the security of convicts working with people credit card number; however, these programs are on in the minimum security prison for women. However, society assumes that these people in need well these women convicts are to blame for their situation while not realizing what placed these women in the position that they are now in.
How many women in prison are mothers? Research have said that the number of children with a mother in prison more than doubled by 131% since 1991 (Celinska, Siegel, 2010, p. 448). How do these women cope with losing their children? I believe that if a child goes to visit their incarcerated mother, make phone calls, and send letters, and pictures along with the progress of the child, then that mother is more than likely to cope better than mothers who avoid their children. Also, those phone calls and everything else helps parents to adjust to their new environment. Most women children are placed in kinship care or in foster care. When a mother is incarcerated a child is placed in either kinship care or foster care as stated above. However, if a woman is sentenced to less than a year and follow her concurrent plan that the social worker gave her in order to regain her custody back for her child or children. Then more than likely she will receive her children back, now, if a woman is sentenced to more than 18 months her rights as parents are terminated and her child or children are up for adoption. Because the main goal for children that are placed in foster care is stability. A lot of mothers blame themselves for the loss of their children. Even though both males and females who are partners get incarcerated, females are the parents that face the worst punishment because they have to worry about who is taking care of their child or children and if they are given the proper care. Whereas, males may have their girlfriend or wife take care of the children.
Attachment is defined as a warm, close relationship with an adult who provides an infant with a sense of security and stimulation (DeLamater, Myers, and Collett, 2008, p.611). Mothers in prison feel grief because they know that there is a possibility that they may have lost their child or children. These women are more concerned about if they are placed outside the state and if transportation is available for their children to see them. Also, if their child/ children are adopted then it became harder for these women to see Chapter 3 in Child Welfare and Family Services Policies and Practice states that “Attachment starts with the loving relationship that infants first develop with their primary caregiver, usually the mother, and then grows over time to include other family members and a wider circle of relatives and friends (Whitelaw Downs, Moore, and McFadden, 2009, p. 85). The bigger problem at hand is that mothers that are incarcerated are more worried about maintaining their ability to hold the name of being a “good” mother while in jail and keeping that title once they were released from jail. However, their split identity did not allow this to happen because society for one would not allow because they know what these women did. These ex-con mothers had to put on an identity with society, so that they would be treated equally, but with their family, they are allowed to show their true identity that they hide from society.
Welcome to the Free World
Before we take a step into the free world, let’s have a look at the effects on the children. A lot of children with incarcerated parents have been exposed to things such as substance abuse, drugs, neglect, and even poverty. Those are just a few of the risk factors. Johnson and Waldfogel (2004) stated that of the 1.3 million children of the state and federal inmates in 1997, an estimated 24,000 were in foster care, and 155, 049 were in the care of their grandparents (p.97). However, a lot of the children that are not reported are either grown, living with the other parent or adopted by a different family. A small downside about a child being adopted while their mother is in prison is the fact that these children are moved away from their families and their mothers may never see their children ever again because of the distance. When an inmate is reunited with their family and they develop a healthier relationship, they are more than likely never to return back to prison because of their stable family. Also, when these inmates are released with a health stable family they are less likely to depend on the government for assistance. Often time these women are re-entering back into the community with any help such as funds, housing, education, or jobs. So, often they have to depend on the government to help them back into society. Arditti (2006) made it clear that women’s need to maintain bonds with children during incarceration and after in order to avoid the risks of stress, anxiety, and/or substance abuse (p. 104). So, what about the children who are out to defend themselves? Do they become another stereotype and enter the prison system because they don't have that bond with their parents? A lot of these children then turn to the streets and other gang organization to feel that family love that they tend to lack from their parents.
As inmates enter into the prison system they bring certain habits along with them as they transition into and out of jail. These are known as habitus. Ross and Richard (2009), wrote that the old convicts would tell the new inmates that they would have to give up the things they cherished the most. They would also tell them that they could no longer control the outside world (p. 110). In order, to survive in prison these mothers have to put the thought of being a mother behind them and focus on surviving their time on the inside. So, the thought of taking care of their children or supporting them is now out the window. Now, all these mothers have is pictures and memories of their children and family.
Du Bois double theory is a great example for mothers who are transitioning back into the free world once again.
The veil is seen with society and the inmate as a whole. Ex-inmates are the ones under the veil because society tries to pretend that these are not there. Society know inmates are there, but do not know the inmate’s culture; however, the inmates do understand the society’s culture because they were once there before. With these inmates having the second sight they have more of advance in their society because they know both worlds. Even though their lifestyles are different they have an insight of the prison system and of the free world. Second sight is an inmate and someone who is a part of society mixed into one. This person has two viewpoints, two souls, two thoughts, and two different ways to thrive in both environments. A quote from Du Bois’ book The Souls of Black Folks gave a great definition of second sight: “A world which yields him no true self-consciousness, but only lets him see himself through the revelation of the other world” (1903). Ex-inmates are often torn apart by those opposite forces that society has created from them. Here is where the actually thought process comes into place for these inmates. However, these inmates now have to live in different worlds with a totally different background and culture that they have to hide in order to be accepted into the free world. The Souls of Black Folks define double consciousness as “self of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others, of measuring one’s soul by the tape of the world that looks on in amused contempt and pity” (Du Bois,
1903).
Conclusion
There is a gap between female offenders and their children and how they contain a connection throughout the parent's’ sentence. Many studies do not focus on these women, but these researchers do notice there is a social problem on the rise. There are different policies that most states have, but they tend to fail the report. Du Bois double theory goes into great details about how these ex-cons view life once they are released from jail/prison. Overall, the transition for women inmates can be harder than ever because sometimes keeping family ties and children attachment may be harder than expected.