Inventing the Savage by Luana Ross

Author:Luana Ross
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: University of Texas Press

Eight

MOTHERHOOD IMPRISONED

IMAGES AND CONCERNS OF IMPRISONED MOTHERS

The most damned women in our society are those classified as “unfit” mothers (Mahan 1982). Mothers may be judged incompetent due to substance abuse, general lifestyle, sexual preference, or race/ethnicity. Mothers who are offenders and thus violate the stereotypic image of the “good” mother are treated particularly harshly by the courts (Beckerman 1991; Carlen 1988; Farrington and Morris 1983; Pollock 1995).

This kind of labeling is most obvious when courts officially judge women to be “unfit” as mothers, as occurs in child custody hearings. Despite anecdotes that women are more likely than men to receive custody of their children, when the fathers want the children, mothers lose custody battles 70 percent of the time (Schafran 1990). Moreover, failing as a mother has far-reaching consequences. Forced to live with the label of being “unfit” for a role that may be central to her self-image, a woman may internalize the label and question her own adequacy as a parent and as a woman (Baunach 1985b; Henriques 1982; Stanton 1980).

If we consider the definition of an “unfit” mother as one who does not care about her children, then studies on imprisoned women and their children reveal that most imprisoned mothers do not warrant that description (Baunach 1985a, 1985b; Beckerman 1991, 1994; Bresler and Lewis 1983; Clark 1995; Henriques 1982; Mahan 1982; Stanton 1980; Zalba 1964). Most, in fact, maintain a great love for their children. Because of the powerful influence of mothers in the lives of their children, incarceration has obvious negative consequences on the mother and her children (Henriques 1982). In many families, the mother is the core, so her absence creates a family crisis. The longer a woman is imprisoned, the less likely it is that her family will remain intact or that her children will later live with her (McGowan and Blumenthal 1978). The presence and maintenance of family stability are critical factors in an incarcerated woman’s successful adjustment after release from prison (Henriques 1982; Stanton 1980; Zalba 1964).

Unfortunately, imprisoned women are essentially forced to be unsuitable as mothers because, by virtue of their prisoner status, they are incapable of providing for their children (Mahan 1982). Although incarceration is not allowed to be considered as evidence that a parent is “unfit,” some states have statutes that permanently terminate the parental rights of an imprisoned parent regardless of the crime (Feinman 1986; Mann 1984; Stanton 1980). Fortunately, only five states operate in this manner: Florida, Illinois, New York, Wyoming, and Montana (Stanton 1980). In some states, the nature of the crime itself is used as the major criterion for child custody; in other states, ambiguous standards are used to determine custody.

Although most states no longer use a mother’s incarceration as grounds for legally terminating her parental rights, an imprisoned mother with children in foster care is in a precarious position. Childcare authorities expect her to comply with rules of conduct that are prevalent for natural mothers, yet the circumstances of her imprisonment restrict her capability to

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