Prison Nursery Essay

The authors describe prison house nurseries as living arrangements within a correctional facility that allow incarce outrankd mothers to keep their infants (born during their incarceration) with them through all or part of their sentence. This article brings to question whether these women should be treated any otherwise than any other incarcerated women and who should pay for these programs. The authors smell that this may be 1 of the most controversial debates surrounding the imprisonment of women. At the time of this study, the authors note that there be currently 8 states that provide prison babys room programs California, Indiana, Illinois, Nebraska, bare-assed York, Ohio, South Dakota, and Washington. This is up from only 3 states in 1998 and notes that New York has had a prison nursery program since 1901. The authors illustrate studies that have shown that the recidivism rate among women who have been allowed to keep their children in prison nurseries is lower than that of other women. However, particular(a) studies have been cited concerning the development of children born into and raised within a prison nursery program. The authors discuss the cost of prison nursery programs as organism one major hurdle into starting and/or continuing these programs. more or less nursery programs are segregated from the general prison population and are staffed with both civilian and correctional staff, allowing for public and private funding to be used. The authors note that a large percentage of the children in prison nursery programs would otherwise be cared for through public dollars whether it be within the encourage care system or public assistance to the interim health care provider during the mothers incarceration so there seems to be subatomic difference in the funding or use of funding in calls of child care. Through several studies the authors note the strict guidelines for eligibility for these programs, including causa of crime, past history of abuse, and length of sentence. Each program has its on impersonate of criteria and rules but the authors state that the idea behind the programs is the same wherever it is collective and that is to provide an opportunity for mother and child to succeed. The authors conclude that prison nurseries should be more widely available as the trend of women being incarcerated has proceed to rise and no decline seems to be forthcoming. They note that studies into the long term effects on children born into prison nurseries is also needed as well as re-entry into society must be closely monitored and facilitated in order for true results to be determined.