“When I Had My Baby, I Had to be Shackled”: Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Motherhood While Serving Life or Long Prison Sentences Beginning In Childhood

Background

Rates of incarceration for women are increasing, yet carceral settings remain unprepared to support the complexities of motherhood. Women continue to enter carceral settings pregnant, having already had children, or becoming pregnant during their incarceration. The experience of carceral motherhood is further complicated for individuals who are given life or long prison sentences as children. The young age at incarceration means that many women became mothers without experience with or an understanding of healthy relationships. Long incarcerations mean prolonged separation from children and having to navigate motherhood during and following incarceration. This study explores experiences of pregnancy and motherhood for women given life or long sentences as children.

Methods

This participatory study was conducted in partnership with a national advocacy organization, collaborating on recruitment, construct development, and member checking. This qualitative study draws on interviews with a subsample of seven women given life or long (10+ years) prison sentences as children (17 or younger) and then released. Interviews were conducted over Zoom and transcribed verbatim. NVivo was used to thematically code the data.

This study explored experiences of motherhood across time: prior to incarceration, in prison, and post-release. Themes were identified that highlight differences in the experiences of motherhood based on participants' proximity to their incarceration.

Findings

Prior to incarceration, the thematic category, pregnancy, includes the following themes: complex relationships, age and expectations, and consent. Because of the young age at which participants were incarcerated, experiences of pregnancy prior to incarceration raise questions of bodily autonomy and underscore the lasting impact of complex relationships.

During incarceration, three thematic categories were identified, including pregnancy, birth, and motherhood. Pregnancy during incarceration occurred due to sexual contact from before entering prison and due to sexual assault from a correctional officer. During pregnancy, mothers experienced anticipatory grief as they prepared for separation from their child post-birth. Participants detailed the experience of laboring and giving birth while shackled. Custody arrangements varied among mothers. For some, parental rights were terminated. For others, family members gained custody of children. Tenuous relationships impacted consistency of visitation and communication with children. No matter the custody arrangements, mothers lost the opportunity to watch their children grow and develop during incarceration.

Post-release, the thematic category, motherhood, encompasses the themes: evolving relationships, new births, and child losses. Mothers who reconnected with their children faced the challenge of building new relationships with them, either in a parental or in more of a friend role. In some cases, participants deepened their maternal connection in the role of grandmother. Sadly, for two participants, motherhood included experiencing the death of children at very young ages. These deaths were further complicated by the loss of hope and planned futures.

Conclusions and Implications

Women who enter carceral settings as children with life or long sentences face enormous challenges affecting pregnancy, childbirth, and motherhood. Inhumane conditions, treatment, and policies contribute unnecessarily to the hardships women endure, starting in childhood. Expanded policies and programming that support mothers during and after incarceration are warranted.