CHILDBIRTH TO WOMEN UNDER SENTENCE - CHARACTERISTICS AND OUTCOME

• NCJ Number: 18189
• Author(s): E H JOHNSON
• Date Published: 1969
• Length: 29 pages
• Corporate Author: Southern Illinois University Ctr for the Study of Crime, Delinquency, and Corrections
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

EXAMINES THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A NUMBER OF FEMALE INMATES WHO WERE PREGNANT WHEN ADMITTED TO A CORRECTIONAL CENTER.

Abstract

THE STUDY IS BASED ON DATA CONCERNING 203 PREGNANT OFFENDERS ADMITTED TO THE NORTH CAROLINA CORRECTIONAL CENTER FOR WOMEN, RALEIGH, FOR THE PERIOD 1955-1967. MAJOR ATTENTION IS DEVOTED TO THE MOTHER'S DECISION ON THE PLACEMENT OF THE INFANT AND FACTORS INVOLVED IN THIS DECISION. THE STUDY CONCLUDES THAT INMATE MOTHERS DIFFER FROM BOTH OTHER INMATES AND MOTHERS IN THE OUTSIDE COMMUNITY IN OCCUPATIONAL AND EDUCATIONAL HISTORY, AGE DISTRIBUTION, NUMBER OF PREVIOUS SENTENCES SERVED, AND RACE. SEVERAL EXPLANATIONS RELATED TO DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS WERE GIVEN FOR THE RACIAL IMBALANCE. ON THE OTHER HAND, THE DIVERGENCE OF INMATE-MOTHERS FROM OTHER PREGNANT WOMEN IS SUGGESTED BY THE GREATER LIKELIHOOD OF HIGH BIRTH-ORDER PREGNANCIES AMONG INMATES. A GENERAL CONSTRUCTIVE RESPONSE TO THE RESPONSIBILITY OF MOTHERHOOD IS INDICATED BY THE SMALL NUMBER OF ADOPTIONS.