Abstract
Problem
The incarceration of women has increased exponentially in the past 40 years. Over 80% of incarcerated women are mothers separated from their children. A mother’s incarceration can impose a destabilizing influence upon an already fragile family system.
Significance
Incarcerated mothers have been inconsistently provided supportive rehabilitative programs, which have demonstrated a correlation to decreased recidivism.
This qualitative study conducted semi-structured interviews that explored the phenomenological experiences of eight disenfranchised incarcerated mothers who were separated from their children, as well as of their experiences of a carceral setting and involvement with prison programs.
Implications
Thematic analysis of the data revealed an overarching bifurcated theme of scarring and transformation. From this primary theme, emerged six themes of Loss, Despondency, Humiliation, Punitive, Ostracization, Parenting and Family Relationships, Experiences of Prison Programs, Coping Strategies, and Reintegration into Society. Some findings emerged, including a reverse trend where the majority of the children’s caregiving was provided by a biological father, as opposed to the prevalence in the extant literature of a maternal family member. Seven of the eight mothers in this study were single parents, and all but one experienced the biological father as children’s caregiver negatively, with a correlation between previous intimate partner violence and later parental alienation, where the relationship with the child remains estranged well after the mothers’ release from incarceration.
Conclusion
Incarcerated mothers reintegrating back into society can pose enormous socioeconomic challenges for the family system and its successful reunification. None of the participants in this study who completed a prison program later recidivated.
Recommended Citation
Gunter, M. (2024). Some Kind of Unfolding: A Micro- to Macrosystemic Exploration of the Emic Experiences of Formerly Incarcerated Mothers. Journal of Interprofessional Practice and Collaboration, 4(2). Retrieved from https://repository.ulm.edu/ojihp/vol4/iss2/3
