[Infants living with their mothers in the Rennes, France, prison for women between 1998 and 2013. Facts and
A Blanchard1, L Bébin2, S Leroux3
1CASED, CHU de Rennes, 16, boulevard de Bulgarie, 35203 Rennes, France.
Insights
Nearly 50 infants annually reside in French prison nurseries until 18 months old. This study highlights the critical need for better data collection and national follow-up for children of incarcerated mothers.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Criminology
- Social Work
Background:
- French law permits infants to reside with incarcerated mothers until 18 months of age.
- International concern exists regarding the scarcity of data on infants living in prison settings.
- Limited validated social, medical, and legal information is available for this vulnerable population.
Purpose of the Study:
- To retrospectively analyze the characteristics and outcomes of infants born to mothers in prison.
- To describe the duration of stay, maternal sentence types, and post-release placements for these children.
- To underscore the need for improved data collection and national follow-up protocols.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective descriptive study design.
- Analysis of medical and paramedical files from the General Council of Île-et-Vilaine, France.
- Inclusion of infants born between 1998 and 2013 to incarcerated mothers.
Main Results:
- Fifty-four infant files were collected, with an average prison nursery stay of 6.2 months.
- Maternal sentences primarily involved personal injury (51.1%) and property damage (40%).
- Post-incarceration, 42.9% of infants entered foster care, while 57.1% resided with family.
Conclusions:
- The study identifies significant data gaps concerning children of incarcerated mothers.
- Child-mother incarceration presents potential opportunities for intergenerational support services.
- A national follow-up system is crucial for understanding and supporting this population.
Abstract:
Every year in France, nearly 50 infants live in a prison nursery with their mother. According to French law, infants can live with their mother in the prison nursery until they reach 18 months of age. The international community is concerned about the lack of validated social, medical and legal data on these infants living in prison. This was a retrospective and descriptive study. Medical and paramedical files of the General Council of Île-et-Vilaine, France, were studied. Every infant born between 1998 and 2013 while their mother was in prison were included. Fifty-four files were collected. The average length of stay was 6.2 months (n=54). The type of the mother's prison sentence was property damage in 40 % of cases, personal injury in 51.1 % of cases and both in 8.9 % of cases (n=45). The length of the mother's imprisonment was on average 45 months, ranging from 3 to 216 months (n=34). After prison, 42.9 % of the infants were placed in foster care and 57.1 % resided with their family (n=42). This child-mother incarceration could be an opportunity for positive intergenerational paramedical, medical and social services. The lack of data and problems collecting data restrict our knowledge of these families. This should motivate a national follow-up for these children.
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