Our state has recently decided to allow women prison inmates to keep newborns in the prison until they are 1?

CGIV76

With the alternative being placing the a newborn in foster care for the first year, it sounds feasable.
As long as the mother isn't in prison for child abuse or some other crime against children, it would be OK.
But if she wasn't out in a year, then what happens?
I hope your state has a plan for that eventuality.

Sue

if there under one, then the need there mom. they wont remember that when they were six months old, and there mom got beat up by other inmates.
i think its good.
maybe even to 2 years old.
unless the mom doesnt want them..
other wise shes in jail, cant see her kid..
what could be worse?

crisdeee

Personally I think it depends on the crime the mother is in for.
If it was nothing violent than I think it's o.k. and may help the woman to turn her life around by having the responsibility and by knowing she has the greatest gift in the world to raise.

Jenny S

It won't damage the kids. What do you remember when you were 1 and younger?

madsmaha1

They are only 1 and below..they don't need anything but their mothers and food at that age...

Harley Lady

If there are other babies in prison, I am sure they will see them. Plus, they will be allowed to be outside. A baby does not need to go to the store. It is a proven fact that they need the first year to bond with their Mothers.It might be helpful for the prisoners also.

Forget War Buy More

Don't they also need the nurturing and bonding time with their mother?

Mom of 3

What state is this?
Seems more cost effective than foster-care.
Infants first year to bond with the mother is essential.
The first year will otherwise the child may be moved around too much.

Lavrenti Beria

Very few memories of your first year are kept into even adolescence.

Me-She

Oddly enough, prison is probably one of the safest places for a newborn to be for the first year of their lives! No one is gonna kidnap them or violate them in the other ways that people in the "outside world" seem to do with children. The babies won't get abandoned or traded for drugs. The Mothers won't feel suicidal after their baby has been taken from their arms. The bonding process of Mother & Child will have a profound effect on the outcome of both of their lives. After the year is up, then child is usallly placed in the care of a relative until the Mother completes her jail term. When she gets home to her child, that bond will keep both of them on the path to success. It is rare that a Mother goes back to her old ways when she has a child to come home to...one that she has already invested an entire year with. The first year of any child's life is the most important & being in a Prison environment isn't any different than living in an apartment building & it's probably a whole lot less germ infested because the inmates keep things very clean & they aren't coming & going & bringing in germs & viruses from the outside world that could infect the newborns & themselves. What you see as potential "damage", I see as a wonderful opportunity to insure that that baby will know the warmth & love that only a Mother can give to their child that has grown inside of them for 9 months. A Mother who didn't want her child would not ask to keep them for a year after giving birth. She always has the option to put it up for adoption if she feels that she cannot handle the responsibilities of Motherhood. I believe that if the baby can at least get breastfed for the first 6 weeks of their lives, then it is better than nothing. It gives them a healthy start & forces the Mother to want to heal her own childhood wounds through giving her own child the best care that she possibly can! I am sure that the program has a safe environment for the child & fresh air is available. Men are employed a prison guards & other children are also housed in the same area as other women with children. What do you think happens when a child is raised as an "only"? Most never see another child until they go into a day care program at the age of 18 months & up. Personally, I believe that the longer a child is kept away from other children, then the safer their personal health will be...germwise, that is!

glitterdiva

it seems a little weird, but i'm sure that the prisons will accommodate the babies and they really do need that time to bond with the mothers and to get proper nourishment through being breast fed. i agree with the others that have said that the children won't remember this period of time anyway.

Cindy

I think that even though children and prison don't seem to mix, like it's not the ideal situation for them to be in. Babies need to bond with their mothers as do the mothers with their babies.

Babies wouldn't know the situation that they are in, as to where they are and what is going on around them. Even though they are in a prison setting the prison make the nursery into an area where it's like being at home. The nursery is decorated with bright cheerful colors to stimulate the babies along with toys for the babies. Babies are also kept in a safe and secure environment. I think that it's of a benefit for the mothers to be able to be with their babies, it may help them to see that they now have some one who needs them to become a better person.

I have seen the devistation of the new mothers being seperated from their babies, I don't think that it's a good thing to seperate them from each other simply because the mother made a mistake. Why punish the baby because the mother made a bad decision in her life, it's better for both of them to be together during the first year.

I also believe that it would give these mothers a chance to learn to be good mothers, which is an incentive to become a better person and possible change their lives and do better.

Having worked with in a prison for many years, I have seen mothers that have given birth to their babies and then also seen these babies taken away from the mothers. If the women were lucky enough to have family members that could take their babies then the babies went to their family members. Some mothers weren't so lucky to have the family members that were willing to take in a new born baby, these babies went to the state for placement.

I would think that in the long run allowing the women to be a part of their babies lives for the first year would be of a benifit to both the mother as well as the baby. Also during that time with the mother other family members would be allowed to visit with both the mother as well as with the baby, so that the babies would also have an established relationship with other family members. Through these visits the baby would be able to get use to other family members since the visits are usually based on an 8 hour visit.

While it seems like a strange concept, in all reality it works out best for both the baby as well as for the mothers. I think that it's a win, win situation for both mother as well as child. The new mothers are taught how to take care of their babies, so they learn skills that they other wise may never have been taught. So they in fact become better mothers, who will be better able to take care of their children when they are released. They have some thing to look forward to upon their release.

I hope this helps you. God bless.

BTW: I was told that where I worked they use to have such a program within the institution where I worked. I was told this program was great for the babies as well as the inmates. It was a program that did work. I believe that the only reason that they stopped having the program was due to the very short visiting times at our institution and also due to the length of stay at our institution. Inmates were in transit at our institution and often had to be moved around to often for them to continue this program. Since these inmates were still going through the process of being sentenced, they are often moved around while they are waiting to go back to court to be sentenced.

TURANDOT

Good for them!
Nothing like a baby to make a woman feel her sense of self worth. It can be a force that motivates them to be their very best, and the babies benefit from having direct contact with mom, in a controlled and supervised environment. All the better for everyone involved.

i think maybe for the first 2-3 months would be 'OK', that kid would probably have a better life if they were adopted. Plus women can be aggressive, so who knows what could happen to a kid in prison.................what kind a state are you living in anyways

Josh

I highly doubt that, prison is no place for children. Even if legislature passed the bill then the prison would NEVER accept the liability.

Kelly<3

wtf...

Janette L

The punishment shall fit the crime......should not be applied to the childs life. I agree, better life out side jail for a child.

â˜ºShortyâ˜º

I agree with you

Jeff

What state are you from...confusion?? That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard of!!

Denise J

Well, how Liberal of your state! And what happens at age 1? Then the child is ripped from the mother and given to relatives? Of course, it will damage the kids. Liberals are good at that. Our tax dollars hard at work to buy diapers, clothing and formula for these babies.

Catnip

If the mothers or families of the mothers can pay the expenses, ALL expenses, fine. If they are forcing the taxpayers to do so, then it should be stopped. What's next? Allowing them to take the kid shopping as long as they promise to return?

They (the mothers) made s decision to commit a crime. The victims have to live with the results of that decision, the criminals should have to live with the results also.

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