Prison Nursery Project
The Prison Nursery Project through Children of Incarcerated Caregivers examines the use of prison nurseries as an alternative to caregiver separation due to incarceration. CIC researches prison nurseries worldwide to identify and consider the risks, benefits, best practices, and alternatives to having children live with a parent while that parent is incarcerated. The aim is to promote the best interests of children in connection with placement in a prison nursery or alternative setting. This project includes the International Prison Nursery Podcast, Country Reports, and an annual Prison Nursery Network meeting.
International Prison Nursery Podcast
In the International Prison Nursery Podcast, Barbara Frey and Paul Dosh speak with guests from around the world in an attempt to understand the varying perspectives surrounding the use of prison nurseries as an alternative to caregiver and child separation due to incarceration. By gaining insight into the experiences and perspectives of those involved with prison nurseries, CIC hopes to identify the risks, benefits, and alternatives to prison nurseries while pushing for more awareness on how to consider the best interests of children during parental sentencing and incarceration.
In recent years, Human Rights Program interns have assisted with the development of a podcast on prison nurseries; programs within correctional institutions where children live with an incarcerated parent. Through this podcast, HRP and CIC hope to generate more awareness of prison nursery programs and promote thoughtful consideration of whether these programs serve the best interests of children.
Listen to the trailer. Episodes are available to listen to through CIC's website, Spotify, and Apple.
Episodes
In this episode, Barbara Frey speaks with Doctor Elena Azaola, an anthropologist and psychoanalyst who specializes in Mexico’s politics of security. Her research focuses on youth impacted by Mexico’s criminal legal system, children and adolescents affected by widespread violence, and women deprived of liberty. Through these lenses, Dr. Azaola explains the considerations that should be taken into account when advocating for the best interests of children accompanying a parent into the prison system. She discusses the issues faced by Mexico’s prisons—such as overcrowding, lack of resources, and ineffective separation of incarcerated men and women—and weighs these conditions against the act of separating a young child from an incarcerated parent. By evaluating these circumstances while respecting the familial bonds between parent and child, Dr. Azaola sheds valuable light on parental incarceration in Mexico.
Listen to Episode 1 and see more information at CIC's website. You can also listen to Episode 1 on these services:
In this episode, Paul Dosh sits down with Doctor Lorie Goshin, a nurse and associate professor at Hunter College Bellevue School of Nursing with a Ph.D. in nursing research. Dr. Goshin describes what prison nurseries look like in the United States and delves into the structure, operation, and conduct of such institutions. She specifically focuses on Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women in New York, which holds the nation’s oldest prison nursery and is currently led by the nonprofit organization Hour Children. She also details her research with Columbia University professor Mary Byrne, which focuses on the effects prison nurseries have on early child development and attachment security. Dr. Goshin frames this discussion within the achievements and possible reforms of the prison nursery system in order to fulfill the best interests of not only the child, but the mother as well.
Listen to Episode 2 and see more information at CIC's website. You can also listen to Episode 2 on these services:
Joining Barbara Frey is Doctor Jacqui Johnson, a family response violence specialist at Oranga Tamariki—New Zealand’s Ministry for Children. In this episode, Dr. Johnson discusses her Ph.D. research on “Monitored Mothering,” an ethnographic study on the experiences of mothers who parent in New Zealand’s Mothers with Babies Units, or MBUs. She describes the social, temporal, and spatial environment of the unit with a focus on impacts on the child and on the mother-child relationship. Exploring the dual roles held by prison custodial staff, mothers, and the unit itself, Dr. Johnson outlines the nuances and contradictions that arise when nursery programs take place in correctional facilities.
Listen to Episode 3 and see more information at CIC's website. You can also listen to Episode 3 on these services:
In this episode, Paul Dosh speaks with Jane Silfen, the Director of Programs for Hour Children, a nonprofit organization that supports current and previously incarcerated women through educational, vocational, and family-oriented programs. Silfen leads the mother-child care initiatives at Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women in New York, which has the nation’s oldest prison nursery program. She describes the prison nursery’s rich history and the core values it was founded on, as well as how its initial mission has taken shape through the program’s accommodations and specialized services such as doulas, lactation consultants, and a full-time on-site manager. Finally, she describes the tactics that Hour Children utilizes to connect incarcerated women with their older children in order to strengthen the bonds of all types of families impacted by incarceration.
Listen to Episode 4 and see more information at CIC's website. You can also listen to Episode 4 on these services:
Joining Paul Dosh is Terry Nyaoro (aka Terry Bii), Program Officer at Clean Start Kenya, a Narobi-based organization that aids justice-impacted women and children with reintegration support. Nyaoro details the history of Clean Start, emphasizing the impact the founder’s experience with incarceration has had on the organization’s mission and programming. Drawing on the post-release challenges many women face, Nyaoro describes the psychosocial and economic programming offered to promote self-sufficiency among women. Transitioning to a focus on children, Nyaoro discusses the circumstances of those living in Kenyan prisons and the work Clean Start has done in this area, such as responsive caregiving, a childcare framework within the prisons, and policy advocacy. Underscoring the importance of ongoing conversations on the impacts of incarceration, Nyaoro outlines the organization’s future goals and how listeners can get involved with Clean Start.
Listen to Episode 5 and see more information at CIC's website. You can also listen to Episode 5 on these services: