Women who are in jail and who have young children present a controversial problem. What is the right thing for the children? Two out of every three women in jail in the U.S. Have kids, and about 2,000 babies are born in prison each year.
In times past, so few women were serving time that this issue wasn’t given much attention. Starting in the 1970’s, the number of women in prison exploded. Women doing time may be forced to give their children up for adoption if they see no alternatives.
Recently, correctional centers have been testing whether or not children should stay with their mothers, given the importance of mother-child relationships. The results have been positive.
One correctional center in Decatur, IL, allowed females to have their children with them for two years--and none returned! Similar results have been seen in other places. Although prison is not an ideal place to raise a child, it would seem mothers and children benefit just the same.
Advocates of these programs say that, in the big picture, if the women with children do not return, as research suggests they don’t, society will be better off. And those children are less likely to fall into legal trouble later in life if they have the care of their parents at an early age.
