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If you have issues viewing or accessing this file contact us at NCJRS.gov. • "17'~ • , 4 t f \: CI?.,k.. '1 ..f' " il 10'" :;)I-f' j lr ~ l National Criminal Justice Reference Service " ~; This microfiche was produced from documents received for inclusion in the NCJRS data base. Since NCJRS cannot exercise control over the physical condition of the documents submitted, STATE OF IOWA the individual frame quality will vary. The resolution chart on this frame may be used to evaluate the document quality. DEP~TMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES Division of Adult Corrections (, 1 Harold A. Farrier, Director \ 1.0 1 i· \, 1.1 PRISONS ANq KIDS --- ---J 111111.25 111111.4 111111.6 j 'I I -/' MICROCOPY RESOLUTIVN TEST CHART j i' NATIONAL BUREAU OF STANOARDS·1963.A !! '( l \ I, , ,! • fl \ l~, ~ i II .J Microfilmir 9 procedures used to create this fiche comply with James Boudouris Ph D the standards set forth in 41CFR 101-11.504. i· Correctional E '1 -,- i' Division of Ad~f uat10n P70gram Director Hoover Build' t Correct1ons Points of view or opinions stated in this document are 1ng, 5th floor i 1 those of the author(s) and do not r~present the official l June, 1983 I position or policies of the U. S. Department of Justice. National Institute of JustiGe United States Department of Justice Washington. D, C, 20531 o , ..-- ... $ 4 1 \ I ~ \1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY I) r This report is a survey of programs for incarcerated , ~ mothers and their children in SS correctional institutions ~I in alISO states, representing a total population of 14,610 ·f) \, women. The scientific literature related to this topic is 't " also reviewed. I' ] ,I 1 The programmatic options that might be available for r' f \0 male and female inmates are discussed as continua within the ~. f major divisions of the child, the inmate, and the family. I\ {, The options range from classes for inmates, available in \ I J almost 90% of the institutions; to pr~son nurseries, available in only one institution; to penal colonies. The following observations summarize the principle issues: 1) For humanitarian and moral reasons, more can be done £or inmates' children and their families. Which options are selected depend upon the characteristics of the particular case and the availability of funds. 2) As far as I have been able to determine, the reasons U.S. Deportment of JustlCD 9 03 S 7 Natlonallnslllule of Justice for.discontinuing prison nurseries have been administrative, '''hln documont han boon reproducod I fn°rg~n g6g~~a:~f~~~nl~~~~~~1~:' P~~~~~f~':~ ~rcg~i~~~O~a:~~ organizational, 03:' political ones. I have not found any j~~~~o~nllho off/cia I pOsilfen or POlrC~090~ ~~d~~,:!I~~~~~US'~'Z scientific evaluation or research that shows that having children ;r~~~S:~; to roproduco Ihls copyrlghlod malarIal has boon __Iowa Department of in correctional institutions is either good or bad for the *-- Co~ectjons ____________ children, inmates, or the institution. 10 Iho NalloMI CrIminal JUBlleo Aoforonco Sorvlco (NOJAS). FU'~:ief roprOducllon OUloldo r th NO slon of Iho copyrIght ownor. 0 0 JAS systom roqulros pOrmls- i . ., ... ..... ,.,..~ , 4 f 3) With the past experiences of severa~ states with I .. prison nurseries, a valuable retrospective study could be J; conducted of former prisoner-mothers and the children who TABLE OF CONTENTS JUL 1 1903 lived with them in correctional institutions in Florida, rI !: ACQUKsrTI('NS Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, and Virginia. , " Page 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARy. 4) . Iowa has had legislation since 1967 authorizing the . i <' INTRODUCTION • • • use of work release for incarceratec mothers to care for their . I . · . ~ j, Table 1 - children and families, and since 19i4 for incarcerated fathers, I' t Summary of Programs for Incarcerated Mothers I 1 and Their Children in 50 States (Represent as well. Greater use of this stat\1t:e (Chapter 24 7A. 2) to ing 55 Institutions and 14,610 Incarcerated I Women) • • • • • • • • • • " • • • " 2 maintain the family unit ought to be considered. LEGAL ISSUES . i J . .10 THE CHILD. • I: . · . · . 17 Bonding •.••• . • • • 17 Programs ~or Children. J~ . v • • • • 22 Nurseries. I . • • 23 Children's Centers and Day Care Centers. · . THE INl-iATE . • • 36 . · . • • 37 Programs . · . Furloughs. • • 38 . • • 41 THE FAMILY •• . .. • • 44 Community Faciliti~s • . • • 45 Visitation Policies. • • . · . • • 46 Family Visits and Conjugal Visits. • • . · . • 413 Penal Colonies . · . · . • . 52 CONCLUSION • • • • . · . · . • • • 54 REFERENCES • • • • • • • • • • • . • • • • • • • • • 57 .. 5 4 f .., .--"'--~--.---.- .. ---.. --,---, ----:'"11• " Page APPENDIX A - Chart I. Survey of states and Programs for Incarcerated Mothers and Their Children. • • .A-63 I Sources ••• . .A-7l i PRISONS AND KIDS APPENDIX B - Uniform Law: Commissioners Model Sentenc- . ing and Corrections Act. ••••• B-al Introduction Having children live in correctional institutions is I: an emotional and controversial topic about \'Thich the public IJ has strong feelings. An influential book titled "Why Punish the Children?" advocates the need to develop program"" to maintain the mother-child relationship while a woman is t incarcerated. On the other hand, some persons agree that the "punishment" is not the "separation" of a child from its mother, but the "imprisonment" of an innocent child in a prison .. ,: This report is both a survey and a review of the literature of programs for incarcerated mothers and their. children in correctional institutions. Other surveys have been conducted of state and federal institution~ and of inmates' and correctional administrators' attitudes (Association on Programs for Female Offenders, 1979, 1981; McGowan and Blumenthal, 1978; Neto and Bainer, 1982; Zeman::; and Cavan, 1958). However, the present report summarizes the information obtained either by telephone or a brief questionnaire designed to determine what programmatic options are available to incarcerated mothers in state institutiol1s and two federal institutions. This survey is summa.ri:;::~d in Chart I (see Appendix A) and in Table 1, and will be referred to in appropriate sections ... $ C - . -2- -3- of this report. Information was obtained from alISO states, II but not from all women's correctional institutions. The total il II ! ~ population of incarcerated women represented by this survey I 1 is 14,610 inmates. I h Table 1.--Summary of Programs for Incarcerated Mothers and The subject of incarcerated mothers and the maintenance II'I I) ~ Their Children in 50 States (Representing 55 Institutions l' 11'1 j of their relationships with their children is a multi-faceted and 14,610 Incarcerated Women). " I )\ one. It need not be restricted to incarcerated mothers, but I! could just as well include incarcerated fathers' relationships I Programs Yes Planned % of All ~ .... Institutions " with their children. r A review of some of the literature takes us into the Classes for Inmates 46 3 89.1 I It disciplines of sociology, psychology, psychiatry, social work, I Furloughs 42 1 78.2 I; ~ law, pediatrics, and corrections. Children's Centers 21 3 43.7 Whi~e this report began as an examination of day care Overnight Visits with Children" 17 3 36.4 centers and nurseries in correctional institutions, the subject .. Conjugal Visits 5 1 10.9 is not adequately covered without alsC; examining visitation Community Facilities policies and procedures, family units and conjugal visits, for Mothers and Their Children 4 0 7.3 supportive services for inmates with children, and related Prison Nurseries 1 0 1.9 topics. Early. in this study I asked to meet with Alfred Healy,. M.D., (Professor of Pediatrics and Chair, Division of Develop mental Disabilities, University Hospital School, University of Iowa) to discuss some of the issues that were involved in the State of Iowafs interest in providing assistance and programs for incarcerated mothers at the Women's Correctional Institution at Mitchellville, Iowa. He agreed to meet with me after he had had an opportunity to reach a consensus among his colleagues, including two pediatricians who were the present and past presidents of the Iowa Chapter of the American Academy of ( .. L • , 4 - -4- r -5- Pediatrics, a psychologist, and a child abuse expert. at the institution? Would the alternative be for a child to While these five professionals were initially concerned live with grandparents in a loving and nurturing setting, or about legislative and moral issues, and realize the decisions would the child be bounced around from one impersonal foster regarding policies toward incarcerated persons are political home to another? Who should make these decisions? Dr. Healy decisions, their views may briefly be summarized as follows: endorses the concept of foster care review boards as proposed ~) The physical facilities in which children of in the Iowa Legislature in March, 1983, under Senate File 322. incarcerated persons might be housed were of primary consider Under this proposal, eight regional foster care review boards ation. If the facility is the traditional prison cellblock will study and make recommendations on individual cases to and tiers of barred cells, they would, of course, be opposed the court. This legislation could be expanded to apply to such an environment for children. If, on the other hand, specifically to the children of incarcerated persons. the facility more closely resembles a college dormitory, as Dr. Healy also believes that if the child did not spend at the t'l7omen' s In~ti tution at Mitchellville I they had a full seven days a week at an institution with its mother, no problem,with having children there. If the institution is -then the whole issue changes. If the visit becomes one of basically clean, there are no contagious diseases, and the 72 hours, a weekend, or once a month, then this represents proper food is available, they could see no barriers to inmate just a visit and does not enhance the mother-child bond. The mothers having their children there with them.