There is a stigma surrounding incarcerated persons all around the globe. Incarcerated mothers are mercilessly shunned for their mistakes and, when they are put in handcuffs, they are usually denied the right to their children. We seem to lose sight that these women are still human beings, and some are still mothers. With the implementation of prison nursery programs, we can help lift this heavy stigma and improve the lives of all families involved. Prison nursery programs house incarcerated mothers and their children ranging anywhere from thirty days to three years, depending on the prison in which the specified program is stationed. Every program has different requirements that must be met by the applicant, but every program requires that the mother not be convicted of a violent crime or a crime involving a child. Mother and baby units in prisons are not extremely common thus far, however, these programs are increasing rapidly in the United States and around the world. Prison nursery units positively influence the mental health of incarcerated mothers, by reducing recidivism, and improving the physical health of both mother and child by increasing their quality of life. Recent studies have shown the babies’ health can be drastically improved by remaining in the care of their biological families and reducing their risk of being in the foster system. Due to the benefits of prison nursery programs, these nursery units should be implemented in prisons worldwide due to their positive impacts on incarcerated mothers, children, and society.

Acceptance into these programs is not an easily gained for pregnant offenders. To ensure the safety of both mother and child, there are many steps in the process towards acceptance into a prison nursery program. Specific criteria must be met by the prospective applicant before the vetting process can even begin. Eligibility for these programs differ from state to state, but some remain the same. The criterion states that the mother must be pregnant by time of arrest and she must not have been convicted of a violent crime or child endangerment. For this program, both mother and child must be healthy, the mother must have legal custody of the child, and the mother must sign a contract agreeing to the terms and conditions of the program (Ohio Laws and Rules). These requirements ensure that all participating inmates are stable enough to raise a child. If the mother meets all pre-requisite conditions, she then must begin the application and interview process. This includes parenting classes, group counseling, psychological and physical evaluations, and interviews. The parenting classes and counseling sessions improve the child’s chances of leading a healthy and productive life in the hands of their, now, educated mother.

Prison nursery programs increase the physical health of mothers involved by providing them with a will to live a more productive and responsible lifestyle due to an overall better quality of life. Within the nursery units, the babies are well attended to and cared for not only by their mothers, but by physicians as well. Dr. Janet Stockheim works as a pediatrician for the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women in Bedford Hills, N.Y. This prison is one of the few in America to house a separate living facility for incarcerated mothers and their newborn babies. Dr. Stockheim, in an interview with ABC News, said “The babies aren't aware. They get excellent care. They are very well bonded to the mothers… Bonding gives a baby trust in the world that they will be taken care of. The babies do better here than they would on the outside with some of these mothers” (Ely and Valiente). By this account, we can see that the babies are given more opportunity to thrive when placed in the prison nursery programs. The babies are able to create an inseparable bond with their biological mothers and they are well looked after in the nursery units. 

In addition to providing excellent healthcare for the children of incarcerated mothers, the inmates themselves also see significant benefit from partaking in raising their children behind bars. These programs have also been linked to a reduce in recidivism in the mothers who were given the opportunity to have gone through a prison nursery program with their newborn babies. Lorie Goshin, Mary Byrne and Alana Henninger observe and provide analysis on the lives of the prison nursery babies and their mothers three years after their release in their article "Recidivism After Release from a Prison Nursery Program”. As a reference standard, note that the average prisoner has a 76.7% chance of returning to prison within five years of their release (“Recidivism”). The authors’ studies from "Recidivism After Release from a Prison Nursery Program" indicate that women involved in prison nursery programs are 96% less likely to commit any crime that could lead to their return to prison. This demonstrates the improved mental states and positive behavioral impacts of almost all the women, for the exception of the returning 4% of convicts, involved in prison nursery units. In addition, these programs increase the chances of the children living healthier lives due to the likelihood of them remaining in a stable home with their biological families. Without this program, many children will be taken from their biological families and will live in the foster care system. 

Children raised in prison nursery units are given a higher chance of success in their lives as opposed to children raised in the foster care system. Currently, there are over 670,000 children in foster care (“Foster Care- Indicators of Child and Youth Wellbeing”). This number can be drastically reduced with the implementation of prison nursery programs. A study from December 2015, carried out by the Child Trends Data Bank, found that children in foster care are more likely to exhibit high levels of behavioral and emotional problems than children who live with their biological families (“Foster Care- Indicators of Child and Youth Wellbeing”). Due to these psychological problems, these children are more susceptible to suspension and/or expulsion in school, and they typically exhibit low levels of engagement in school and extracurricular activities (“Foster Care- Indicators of Child and Youth Wellbeing”). “One study found that almost 60 percent of young children (ages two months to two years) in foster care were at a high risk for a developmental delay or neurological impairment” (“Foster Care- Indicators of Child and Youth Wellbeing”). Problems have also been seen to arise from children who have “aged out” of the foster care system when they become a legal adult by means of physical age or emancipation. “As adults, children who spent long periods of time in multiple foster care homes were more likely than other children to encounter problems such as unemployment, homelessness, and incarceration, as well as to experience early pregnancy. Former foster care youth may also be more likely, as young adults, to have multiple chronic health conditions” (“Foster Care-Indicators of Child and Youth Wellbeing).  Therefore, children who do not fall into the foster care system, are less likely to experience these unfortunate problems. There is a solution to this problem and it can be found within prison nursery programs. Due to the increased mental and physical states in the mothers involved in these programs, they are more equip to raise their children in a stable, loving home. With their drastically reduced recidivism and newfound knowledge on parenting, these mothers can raise their children behind bars and then move them to a stable home upon release therefore avoiding the foster care system entirely.

As previously mentioned, the mothers are also given an increased will to live a more productive life as a direct result of the prison nursery programs. These imprisoned mothers must to fight tooth and nail for the chance of receiving a space in the program. Within the program they must take good care of themselves and their child to be allowed to remain in the nursery unit. One inmate, named Jacqueline McDougall said in an interview with ABC News, "I’ve had time to clean up my act and really see where I was headed. It wasn't in a good direction. I think at the end of it all now. I kind of think this saved my life. As much as I hate being here, this has really helped me, being a mother, the motivation to get up every day” (Ely and Valiente). Prison nursery programs give the mothers involved an opportunity to change their life styles in a positive manner so that they may tend for their children. 

There is also the aspect of the mothers’ increased will to live. On average, prisoners are expected to be alone in their cells for, at the minimum, twelve hours per day. The strict routine and isolation involved in prisons can lead to many mental health problems in inmates. “At midyear 2005 more than half of all prison and jail inmates had a mental health problem” (“Mental Health Problems of Prison and Jail Inmates”).  More than 43% of State prisoners and more than 54% of jail inmates have reported symptoms that met the criteria for mania, nearly 30% of inmates reported symptoms of major depression and approximately 24% of inmates reported symptoms that met the criteria for a psychotic disorder (“Mental Health Problems of Prison and Jail Inmates”).  With the prison nursery unit option, inmates are given the opportunity to change their routine, avoid these mental health concerns due to isolation, and give themselves the motivation to do better than they would have without this program in society. They are also given the responsibility of caring for another human being, which not only keeps their brains occupied, but also gives them the incentive to change their lives in a positive way to properly care for their infant. By avoiding the mental problems that the majority of prisoners face, the State saves money on the treatment of mentally unwell inmates. 

For a better view of the day-to-day life in the prison nursery programs, we turn to the documentary, Babies Behind Bars. In this documentary, Lesley Sharp follows the journey of pregnant inmates at the women’s prison in Indiana who apply for and participate in the “Wee Ones” prison baby unit program. The documentary demonstrates all the aspects of raising a child behind bars and it addresses the hardships in addition to all the positive outcomes of these programs. Once the mothers gain acceptance into the program, they are moved into a separate section of the prison with playrooms and separate living areas with baby toys, books and a nursery. There is a strong sense of community and mutual support within these mother-baby units. Furthermore, there are murals of animals on the walls, bright yet calming colors, and everything the child needs to succeed. Even the prison guards will come to play with the babies and help the mothers when they get too tired to carry around the crying infant (Richardson). One of the primary physicians at the prison says that the program is beneficial for the child. “Even the prison staff seem to be more empathetic” (Richardson). This proves that there are better relations created between the inmates and the prison guards if the mother is in the prison nursery program. This is beneficial because it helps the baby to grow up in a positive environment and helps the women to trust the officers of the law. The other inmates step in to nanny when the mother needs a break, quite similar to friends and family helping a new mother outside of the prison walls (Richardson). “A lot of people ask why I let the guards hold my baby. They’re not my enemies. They’re just doing their job” (Richardson).  One inmate, Bobi Brush, lost all six of her children to foster care when she was arrested for theft while pregnant with her seventh child. Brush is informed that, if she does well in the nursery program, she will have the opportunity to regain custody of all seven of her children (Richardson). Immediately following her acceptance to the prison nursery program, she applied for early release so that she can meet the time requirement to keep her newborn baby. She was granted the release and is awaiting the reunion with her other six children (Richardson). With the help of the prison nursery programs, not only are the children born behind bards rescued from the perils of foster care, but, sometimes, also are their siblings.

In these units, the State is required to give proper medical care to each inmate and infant, as is required for all inmates. Many critics of prison nursery programs claim that these nursery units are unsafe for infants and use health and safety concerns to validate this claim. However, when looking at the facts and new-found laws on the subject, safety of the child is not a valid concern. The Plata vs. Schwarzenegger case forced the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to create new and higher standards for the health care in the prison system. Current policies involving pregnant inmates include “pregnant offender is not to be placed in restraints by the wrists, ankles, or both during labor, including during transport, delivery, and while in recovery after giving birth” (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Adult Institutions, Programs, and Parole: Operations Manual). From this case, laws have been implemented and pregnant inmates now receive a dental examination, periodontal (gum) evaluation, and the necessary periodontal treatment in addition to all normal health care necessities (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Adult Institutions, Programs, and Parole: Operations Manual). These new laws ensure the safety of the inmate and her unborn child. It also ensures that the inmate receives proper medical and prenatal care, which leads to a healthier pregnancy and, therefore, a healthier baby. Pregnant inmates visit their doctor (or OB/GYN) every 4 weeks in the first trimester, every 3 weeks at 30 weeks gestation, every 2 weeks at 36 weeks and, weekly after 36 weeks up to delivery (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Adult Institutions, Programs, and Parole: Operations Manual). From this information, it can be determined that the mothers and their unborn children are given healthier lives from these new policies.  It also proves the consistent and proper medical care given to all pregnant inmates and their babies.

Another concern of critics of prison nursery program is the cost of funding such a program and it is addressed by Ely Brown and Alexa Valiente in their article for ABC News. “The cost for each baby is roughly $24,000 per year, but it's cheaper than the $30,000 per year that it costs if a mom, who didn't receive any support, ends up back in jail” (Brown and Valiente). The ABC News article, “Babies Born, Raised Behind Bars May Keep Mothers from     Returning to Prison” shows that with the loss of recidivism in direct correlation to the success of these programs, the State will save over $30,000 per year per prisoner (Brown and Valiente). "If that woman stays out of jail for five years, think of [those] savings. It's keeping that child from the foster care system. That's another expensive program” (Brown and Valiente). The State will also minimize the cost of mental health care with the implementation of prison nursery programs (Brown and Valiente). As previously stated, in correlation to the isolation of prison, most prisoners experience mental health problems of which the state is legally required to treat. The bottom line is that the nursery programs cost money but, in long haul, the State will save money from the implementation of these programs. This creates a situation in which all parties benefit, with the State saving money and the mothers saving their children.

Prison nursery programs not only provide mothers and their children with a better life, it also provides their friends, families, neighborhoods and entire communities with better lives. With the rate of recidivism down as a direct result of these programs, the families and community members of the formerly incarcerated mothers can benefit from knowing that their neighbor is a productive member of society. Furthermore, participants in these programs are less likely to be found committing theft and drug dealing upon release, in turn keeping themselves, their children, and their neighbors safe. The mothers will either force the people around them to reduce their destructive activities in society so that the mother is not at risk to lose her child. In turn, children will be kept out of foster care and have exponentially fewer health problems, both psychologically and physiologically. This will save the families and the State hundreds upon thousands of dollars in medical bills and foster care funding. Most importantly, the children in the program are well cared for and monitored, reducing the safety criticism of the opposition for these programs. We cannot forget that these families have a value no less than our own and should be treated as such. Although there are valid concerns raised over these programs, in recent years States have provided an abundance of modifications and incentives to the programs to relieve these concerns. Current prison nursery programs have created excellent evidence in their incredible benefits to support the implementation of these programs world-wide. We must help keep families together and give our nation’s children every opportunity possible in this world; Opportunities that are seldom achieved without the love and support of a mother.
