Mothers in Federal Prison - Essay Example

This information also supports the premise that when women are in federal prison it has severe repercussions on the entire family. Historically women who were mothers and sentenced to federal prisons were given lighter sentences. However, the literature indicates that tougher prison sentences, especially federal, are being handed down. As a result, more children are being affected by a parent's incarceration, (The Center for Youth and Families) The repercussions to the entire families of the incarnated women, not just the children are serious.

There are emotional, political and economical effects that the entire family must endure. In the "Long Goodbye" by Amanda Coyne, all of these factors are addressed. The major factor that Coyne's work is concerned with is the emotional impact both on the mother and the rest of the family, especially the children. There is an emotional toll that affects the entire family f the imprisoned mothers. The literature suggest that the large numbers of women in federal prisons has a social impact and supports the premise that many women are in federal prisons due to the unsuccessful war on drugs. . This causes great angst for the mothers in federal prison and it raises concerns as to what and how they will explain their incarceration to young children.

The current literature also reveals that mothers in federal prisons have difficulties with adolescents and the adolescents of incarcerated mothers are problematic. (Coyne, p 73) Current literature is concerned with the unintended consequences of the incarceration of parents on children. (Coyne, p 72) These consequences may include problems with separation, caretaking, schooling, and antisocial behavior during childhood, educational failure, precocious sexuality, premature departures from home, early childbearing and marriage, and idleness and joblessness during adolescence and early adulthood.

(Bloom, p 21) There is current literature that examines the dimensions and causes of these problems among children of mothers that have been sentenced in the federal district courts system. (Coyne, 74) The literature also suggests that the withdrawal or loss of a parent can result in the loss not only of economic capital, but also of social capital involving relationships among family members and the organization of family life toward the maintenance and improvement of life chances of children.

(Bloom, p 22) The presence of mothers in United States prison populations is growing with the increasing reliance on incarceration as a criminal sanction, for women as well as men. (Bloom, p 22) The literature presents the results of a recent survey by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (1991) that revealed that about two-thirds of incarcerated women and more than one-half of incarcerated men are mothers of children under 18 years of age. (The Center for Youth