‘What About Me?’ The Impact on Children when Mothers Are Involved in the Criminal Justice System

Abstract

From June 2017 to May 2018, the Prison Reform Trust partnered with Families Outside to identify the particular impacts on children of a mother's involvement in the criminal justice system. This included a literature review and extensive consultations with 25 children and 31 mothers with lived experience. This chapter presents the main findings of the research, which identified five key themes: ‘Children with a mother in prison are invisible within the systems that are there to protect them’; ‘Every aspect of a child's life may be disrupted when a mother goes to prison’; ‘Children feel stigmatised when a mother is involved in the criminal justice system’; ‘Children affected by imprisonment face many barriers to support’ and ‘With the right support, children can become more resilient and develop the skills they need to thrive’. The material presented in this chapter constitutes a compelling case for reform. The chapter concludes with recommendations for action at local and national levels to protect children from the harm caused by maternal imprisonment.

Citation

Beresford, S., Earle, J., Loucks, N. and Pinkman, A. (2020), "‘What About Me?’ The Impact on Children when Mothers Are Involved in the Criminal Justice System", Lockwood, K. (Ed.) Mothering from the Inside, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 67-83. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-78973-343-320201007