Managing Motherhood in Prison

Summary The vast majority of the women who are imprisoned in our nation's correctional facilities are mothers. These women face considerable challenges in managing motherhood tasks while incarcerated. The options available for women in placing their children, maintaining contact, and maintaining place in families vary widely and are related to race, ethnicity and other variables. This article examines how motherhood is enacted under the circumstances of incarceration through the use of qualitative research undertaken in a women's prison.