In my opinion, women with young children should not be .
able to have their infants living in prison with them. .
However, how do we balance the attachment needs of the .
child in opposition to the negative consequences of growing .
up in prison? We must take into consideration the best .
interest of the infant without compromising the .
safety and security of the circumstances. .
Countless incarcerated mothers were not high quality .
parents before they encountered the justice system, in .
fact, many of them did not have custody of their children .
prior to their imprisonment. In addition, several of them .
have been or are at risk, of becoming physically or .
emotionally abusive towards their children. Drug and .
alcohol abuse is a common problem and many of these women .
are not first time offenders; in reality, some of them have .
been re-incarcerated as a result of a violation of their .
parole. In my opinion, women prisoners often come from .
socially deprived and often high-risk backgrounds. Although .
many of them are convicted of non-violent crimes, they have .
violated laws and disregarded the ethics set by society. .
When they committed the offence, they waived their rights .
to be productive members of society. Children are born .
innocent; therefore, it is my belief that these women .
should not have the opportunity to be parents until they .
have served their sentences, successfully completed .
appropriate programs; such as, parenting skills and .
substance abuse rehabilitation, and have demonstrated to .
be positive role models. I believe that we cannot justify .
allowing criminal mothers to raise their children, in the .
penitentiaries intended for offenders who are confined for .
detention or punishment. Nonetheless, it has been .
disputed that " imprisonment has an adverse impact on .
mother-infant bonding"(McGowan and Bluementhal 1978; Bloom, .
1988). The dispute is whether the benefits of keeping .
babies close to their mothers prevail over the risk of .
