Residential programmes for mothers and children in prison: Key themes and concepts
- Publisher:
- SAGE Publications
- Publication Type:
- Journal Article
- Citation:
- Criminology and Criminal Justice, 2021, 21, (1), pp. 21-39
- Issue Date:
- 2021-02-01
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Like the United Kingdom and New Zealand, all eight Australian jurisdictions have legal provisions for the full-time accommodation of young children with their mothers in prison. Whether and how these laws are enacted varies, and there are no national or international norms. This article integrates a review of policies, principles and operating models with findings from a qualitative study, to describe the current landscape in residential programmes for mothers and children in Australian prisons. It demonstrates how current ideologies limit the system’s ability to meet the needs of imprisoned mothers, their children and prison staff. Three issues emerge as problematic: the separation of the rights and interests of mothers and children; over-reliance on attachment theory as both rationale and evidence base; and the individualization of responsibility and risk. The study is of international relevance because these themes and concepts are recognizable elsewhere, including the United Kingdom, New Zealand and some European countries.
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