An examination from a social service perspective of the impacts of the prison conditions on the development process of children who stay in prison with their mother

There have been many disadvantaged groups in the society from the history of world until today. Children have always been the most vulnerable to abuse since they need care and protection. This study deals with children who have to stay in prisons with their mothers, and who suffer more than their mothers. The first 6 years in child development is very important. According to some experts, children up to 3 years of age should not be separated from their mothers. In this case, a child staying with the mother in prison will not be separated from the mother; but the most important years of developmental process will be spent in poor conditions of prison. In this study, there are 25 mothers and 5 pregnant mothers who have been in prison for various crimes. A questionnaire was applied to prisoner mothers in order to determine the prison conditions of the mothers with their children and the conditions influencing the children. The answers of the mothers have been interpreted in descriptive analysis by using tables and graphics in Excel program. The researcher also examined the situation for 18 months through natural observation. The results showed that many crucial developmental elements that a child needs are missing in prison. Children experiences serious difficulties due to the physical conditions of the institutions. To illustrate, children start walking late, since they cannot crawl because of the prohibition of carpeting places in prison. On the other hand, children in prison mature cognitively earlier than their peers. The reason for that is that they are exposed to a lot of stimuli in environment at an early age. For example, it is thought that early talking of boys in prison than their peers living outside is a result of continuous conversation and dialogs happening in the prison. Mothers also report their worry about that their children are not being able to go to the park with their parents like their peers, and not to play with their siblings. They also report that their children are their source of motivation to live in such a place. However, they also feel guilty about that their children have to be grow in such a place. Based on these findings, the current rehabilitation and rehabilitative functions of prisons are becoming more important for mothers. The disadvantages of prisons for children staying with their mothers are quite a lot. Legislators should work towards the protection of children through laws that promote the best interests of children. The different regulations should be done like postponing the execution of mother, or building a different prison for mothers. Social workers in prison should use especially empowerment approach to overcome damages of the mother and children.