Incarcerated Mothers: Role Strain and the Redefining of Mothers’ Roles
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
The experiences of incarcerated mothers within the criminal justice system have gained increasing attention due to the profound implications for both the mothers themselves and their young children. One prominent, but less-studied, challenge is role strain—the tension and difficulties in reconciling their roles as mothers and prisoners. This article focuses on incarcerated mothers’ role strain and the redefining of maternal roles. The research employed mixed research methods, including structured face-to-face interviews with 52 incarcerated mothers in a provincial prison in Thailand; and in-depth interviews with 20 incarcerated mothers, eight families of incarcerated mothers, their children’s caregivers, and their communities. The research found that the role strain of incarcerated mothers stems from various factors, namely mother-child physical separation, limited communication and contact, societal stigmatization, restricted decision-making, and the emotional and mental health challenges associated with incarceration. Despite these challenges, incarcerated mothers have shown resilience and adaptability by redefining their maternal roles within the prison context. This re-definition of maternal roles involves prioritizing emotional support, being involved in children’s growth and development, communicating and collaborating with caregivers, and fostering personal growth and self-care. Voices of incarcerated mothers and their children reveal how the redefinition of mothering significantly affects both mothers’ and their children’s well-being. By examining the impact of mother-child separation, the role strain experienced by incarcerated mothers, and their strategies for redefining maternal roles, this research contributes to the existing literature on incarcerated motherhood and informs the development of supportive interventions.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
References
Allen, S., Flaherty, C., and Ely, G. (2010). ‘Throwaway moms:’ Maternal incarceration and the criminalization of female poverty. Affilia, 25, 160-172. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886109910364345
Arditti, J. A. and Johnson, E. I. (2020). A family resilience agenda for understanding and responding to parental incarceration. Washington, D. C.: American Psychological Association.
Ashforth, B. E. (2001). Role transitions in organizational life: An identity-based perspective. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
Berry, P. E. and Eigenberg, H. M. (2003). Role strain and incarcerated mothers: Understanding the process of mothering. Women and Criminal Justice, 15(1), 101-119.
Booth, N. (2020). Disconnected: Exploring provisions for mother-child telephone contact in female prisons serving England and Wales. Criminology & Criminal Justice, 20(2), 150-168. https://doi.org/10.1177/1748895818801806
Braman, D. (2004). Doing time on the outside: Incarceration and family life in urban America. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.
Chui, W. H. (2010). ‘Pains of imprisonment’: Narratives of the women partners and children of the incarcerated. Child and Family Social Work, 15(2), 196-205.
Choorat, P. and Sakunpong, N. (2022). Spiritual self-construction of peer educators in a family context: A narrative study. Journal of Mekong Societies, 18(3), 64-88.
Crawford, J. (2003). Alternative sentencing necessary for female inmates with children. Corrections Today, 65(3), 8-10.
Department of Corrections. (2023). Rai ngan sathiti phu tong rachathan thua phrathet 2566. (In Thai) [Statistical report on detainees under the Department of Corrections 2023]. Bangkok: Department of Corrections.
Easterling, B. A. (2012). Parenting behind bars: A qualitative study of incarcerated mothers. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Tennessee.
Hairston, C. F. (2007). Focus on children with incarcerated parents: An overview of the research literature. Baltimore, MD: Annie E. Casey Foundation.
Havanon, N., Jeradechakul, P., Watanothai, T., Ratanarojsakul, P., and Sankatiprapa, K. (2012). Lives of forgotten people: Narratives of women in prisons (Kanchanakpan, P., Trans). Bangkok: Office of the Affairs under the Royal Initiatives of HRH Princess Bajrakitiyabha.
Kennedy, S. C., Mennicke, A. and Allen, C. (2020). ‘I took care of my kids’: Mothering while incarcerated. Health Justice, 8(12). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40352-020-00109-3
Muensit, A., Thongyou, M., and Lapanun, P. (2019a). Practices of everyday life of teen mothers: Their use of habitus and symbolic power in the community. Kasetsart Journal of Social Sciences, 40(1), 186-192. https://so04.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/kjss/article/view/239840
Muensit, A., Thongyou, M., and Lapanun, P. (2019b). Problems and practices of teen mothers at school in Khon Kaen province, Thailand. Journal of Mekong Societies, 15(3), 27-51. https://so03.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/mekongjournal/article/view/221689
Murray, J. (2005). The effects of imprisonment on families and children of prisoners. In A. Liebling and S. Maruna (Eds.), The effects of imprisonment. (pp. 442-492). Cullompton, England: Willan.
Murray, J., Farrington, D. P., and Sekol, I. (2012). Children’s antisocial behavior, mental health, drug use, and educational performance after parental incarceration: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 138(2), 175-210.
Stringer, E. C. and Barnes, S. L. (2012). Mothering while imprisoned: The effects of family and child dynamics on mothering attitudes. Family Relations, 16(2), 313-326
Parry, B. R. (2022). The motherhood penalty—Understanding the gendered role of motherhood in the life histories of incarcerated South African women. Feminist Criminology, 17(2), 274-292. https://doi.org/10.1177/15570851211053265
Tarat, S. (2020). Education and cultural capital accumulation: The life course of blind people. Journal of Mekong Societies, 16(2), 96-115. https://so03.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/mekongjournal/article/view/239959
Thailand Institute of Justice (2020). Phuying nai lok lang kampaeng. (In Thai) [Women in the world behind walls]. Bangkok: Thailand Institute of Justice
Thongyou, M., Phongsiri, M., Samona, S., Muensit, A., Soravongsiri, T., and Tathong, P. (2018). Luk khong phutongkhang ying: Yuea khong kwam yuttitham. (In Thai) [Children of female inmates: Victims of justice]. Bangkok: Healthy Prison Project, Thai Health Promotion Foundation, and Center for Research on Plurality in the Mekong Region, Khon Kaen University.
Wattanaporn, K. A. and Holtfreter, K. (2014). The impact of feminist pathways research on gender-responsive policy and practice. Feminist Criminology, 9, 191-207.
Villanueva, S. M. P. and Gayoles, L. A. M. (2019). Lived experiences of incarcerated mothers. Philippine Social Science Journal, 2(1), 37-52. https://doi.org/10.52006/main.v2i1.5
Website
Jones, A., Gallagher, B., Manby, M., Robertson, O., Schützwohl, M., Berman, A, H., Hirschfield, A., Ayre, L., Urban, M, Sharratt, K., and Christmann, K. (2013). Children of prisoners: Interventions and mitigations to strengthen mental health. Huddersfield: University of Huddersfield. Retrieved July 20, 2023, from http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/18019/
Interviews
Chittra. (Pseudonym). (2015). Interview. Incarcerated mother, detained for drug charges, 25-year and 0-month imprisonment sentences, has three children, aged 14, 14 and 8.
Lalana. (Pseudonym). (2015). Interview. Incarcerated mother, detained for drug charges, 2-year and 3-month imprisonment sentences, has two children, aged 12 and 8.
Ped. (Pseudonym). (2015). Interview. Incarcerated mother, detained for drug charges, 3-year and 6-month imprisonment sentences, has three children, aged 30, 19, and 15.
Saengchan. (pseudonym). (2015). Interview. Incarcerated mother, detained for drug charges, 2-year and 3-month imprisonment sentences, has three children, aged 16, 14, and 4.
Somsri. (Pseudonym). (2015). Interview. Incarcerated mother, detained for drug charges, 11-year and 12-month imprisonment sentences, has three children, aged 19, 15, and 13.
Somsri’s mother. (Pseudonym). (2018). Interview. Farmer, mother of a female inmate.
Wantana. (Pseudonym). (2015). Interview. Incarcerated mother, detained for drug charges, 2-year and 6-month imprisonment sentences, has two children, aged 4 and 3.
Yupa. (Pseudonym). (2015). Interview. Incarcerated mother, detained for drug charges, 25-year and 0-month imprisonment sentences, has two children, aged 17 and 8.