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“Being a Mother Don’t Come with No Directions”: How Formerly Incarcerated Black Mothers Parented Behind Bars

Darkwa, Asantewaa
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Abstract

While only about 7% of incarcerated adults are women, most of these women are mothers. Though incarcerated women are often seen as deviants and criminals, incarcerated mothers are generally subjected to even higher levels of surveillance and scrutiny. Though all incarcerated mothers are at risk for the many detrimental outcomes stemming from their incarceration, Black mothers specifically are subjected to greater structural challenges due to the role that racism, sexism, and patriarchy play in their lives.

Using a grounded theory approach, I interviewed 15 formerly incarcerated Black mothers to understand how they parented behind bars. This study adds to the literature on “motherwork” involving formerly incarcerated Black mothers by putting their narratives at the forefront of analysis. The Black mothers I interviewed shared several ways they engaged in “motherwork” that is unique to their experience as formerly incarcerated mothers. Their narratives highlighted the detrimental effects their incarceration had on not just them, but their family and friends included. They also discussed several barriers that still currently exist, preventing them from being with their children. While they all contend that their “motherwork” involved doing the best they could for their children, they reflected on how some of their other choices made them a “bad” mother, internalizing controlling images of black motherhood. At the same time, however, they rejected social stigmas surrounding their mothering. The narratives from formerly incarcerated Black mothers reveal a major gap in services supporting incarcerated mothers. As formerly incarcerated Black mothers have a unique understanding of mothering and motherhood, we must steer clear of socially constructed ideas of motherhood and explore their mothering practices that have been traditionally overlooked.

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Date
5/6/2024
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Research Projects
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Keywords
Maternal incarceration, Grounded theory, Black feminist thought, Children with incarcerated mothers, Race, Criminal justice system
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