“I Chose Motherhood First”: Salvaging the Maternal Identity in Resource-Starved Jails

• Published date: 01 November 2024
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/00328855241278255
• Author: Narissa Haakmat,Betsy Matthews
• Date: 01 November 2024
• Subject Matter: Articles

“I Chose Motherhood

First”: Salvaging the

Maternal Identity in

Resource-Starved Jails

Narissa Haakmat

1

and Betsy Matthews

2

Abstract

The population of women in jail increased by 15% from 2008 to 2018. A por-

tion of this increase was due to state policies shifting individuals serving sen-

tences of 1–5 years to local jails to reduce prison overcrowding. In-depth

interviews with 62 women serving long-term sentences in local jails in

Central and Eastern Kentucky were conducted to examine how they navi-

gated motherhood in this carceral setting. Findings suggested that despite

the salient role that motherhood played in their lives, jails provided few mean-

ingful opportunities for women to perform identity-congruent behaviors or

receive verif‌ication of their maternal identity. Implications for reintegration,

desistance, and theoretically relevant intervention models are discussed.

Keywords

identity theory, incarcerated mothers, maternal identity, jails

Introduction

The literature on incarcerated mothers documents the important role that chil-

dren play in their lives and suggests that their separation contributes to high

1

Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, USA

2

Eastern Kentucky University, Richmond, KY, USA

Corresponding Author:

Narissa Haakmat, Department of Sociology & Criminal Justice, Old Dominion University, 4401

Hampton Blvd., Batten Arts & Letters, Norfolk, 23529, VA, USA.

Email: nhaakmat@odu.edu

Article

The Prison Journal

2024, Vol. 104(5) 571–593

© 2024 SAGE Publications

Article reuse guidelines:

sagepub.com/journals-permissions

DOI: 10.1177/00328855241278255

journals.sagepub.com/home/tpj

levels of distress for both (Baunach, 1985; Enos, 2001; Morash & Schram,

2002; Poehlmann, 2005). Because mothers are more likely than fathers to

have been present in their children’s lives prior to incarceration, they suffer

from more intense distress (Kennedy et al., 2020; Poehlmann, 2005),

and their children are at a heightened risk for developing behavioral and

mental health problems (Dallaire, 2007; Murray et al., 2012). Despite evi-

dence of the detrimental impact of maternal incarceration, correctional

institutions have failed to address the needs of incarcerated mothers and

their children in any meaningful way. Beyond a few prison-based visita-

tion programs for young children (e.g., Girl Scouts Beyond Bars, AIM,

etc.) there are limited opportunities for incarcerated mothers to maintain

relationships with their children. In particular, the situation may be even

direr in resource-starved local jails, where 80% of women in custody are

mothers (compared to 58% in federal and state prisons) (Bertram &

Sawyer, 2021).

The current study is based on interviews with women serving one to f‌ive

years in local jails across Central and Eastern Kentucky. Kentucky is among

several states that have resorted to housing low-level felony offenders in

local jails to reduce state prison populations. Because these policies are dis-

proportionately applied to women, it is important to explore their perspec-

tives on incarceration in jails that are ill equipped to address the needs of

long-term incarcerated people. What became abundantly clear was the

way in which motherhood shaped this experience for the 62 interviewed

mothers. Considering that motherhood has been identif‌ied as a prominent

“hook for change”that facilitates desistance from crime (Giordano et al.,

2002; Kennedy et al., 2020), correctional system policies should strive to

build on this potential asset. Given the community placement and proximity

to children that jails provide, there is an opportunity and an obligation to

invest in the lives of mothers and their children by providing services that

support the maternal role and identity and facilitate mothers’reintegration

to the family and community.

Literature Review

Navigating the Mother–Child Relationship From a Jail Cell

The relationship between motherhood and crime is complicated. Some

research suggests that the desire to provide and care for children is a prosocial

force in women’s lives (Bachman et al., 2016; Cobbina, 2009; Giordano et al.,

2002). Other studies posit that the obligations and strains that came with the

maternal role contributed to drug use and theft (Brown & Bloom, 2009;

572 The Prison Journal 104(5)