Social Work

To decrease problems associated with separating newborn infants from their mothers, and to increase family stability and reduce recidivism, corrections departments in several states have implemented community-based correctional alternatives for women prisoners and their babies. Some alternatives allow mothers to serve their time in community residences and to keep their babies with them. This report presents major findings from a study of one such facility, the House.

An estimated ten to twelve million children in the United States are currently affected by parental involvement in the correctional system, which includes having a parent currently or formerly incarcerated in jail or prison or under the supervision of parole or probation. Children of incarcerated parents are vulnerable to a variety of behavioral and psychological problems, and their families and caregivers subject to emotional, financial and physical stress.