“They Still Know I’m Their Momma”: Incarcerated Mothers’ Perceptions of Reunification and Resuming a Caregiver Role

Abstract

Using in-depth interviews with mothers incarcerated in a maximum-security prison, the current study explores incarcerated mothers’ own perceptions and expectations regarding reunification with their families. For many of these mothers, reunification was an exciting prospect, but they recognized that the transition may not be easy for themselves, their children, or their children’s caregivers. Notably, while past research has treated reunification as including assuming care of children, our study suggests that some women view reunification strictly as rebuilding relationships with their children without plans to assume caring for them. We discuss implications for policy and programming for institutional and community corrections.