Incarcerated Mothers: A Case Study

Incarcerated mothers have worries and concerns about their children that are similar to those of other mothers. LeFlore and Holston (1989) found that 72% of those they interviewed reported that the most important thing for a mother is to love her child and to be able to demonstrate that love. They also emphasized the importance of being able to provide and care for their children, but both of these activities are likely to be denied to them for extended periods. Many women are incarcerated when they could be placed on probation or in other community programs that would permit them to maintain their parental roles and responsibilities. The present rate of incarceration for use, abuse or possession of drugs far exceeds earlier rates, but self-reported
drug use does not significantly vary between the two time periods. However, women were incarcerated for drug abuse in the past decade whereas that usually was not the case in earlier period. Block and Potthast (1998) studied a sample of incarcerated mothers who participated in a Girl Scout program with their daughters. They found that participation increased their confidence about their relationships with their daughters, but they worried considerably about the emotional harm to their children from their incarceration. They also expressed concern about the views of their daughters’ friends about their incarceration.