Document Type
Article - Open Access
Publication Title
Journal of Prison Education and Reentry
Publication Date
6-2016
Abstract/ Summary
This article examines how incarcerated mothers constructed moral identities in the face of stigma. Analyzing data from participant observation and 83 in-depth interviews with incarcerated mothers, we show that mothers claimed moral identities by distancing from the stigma of incarceration and/or embracing the identity of incarcerated mothers. Utilizing these strategies, women challenged the stigma of convicted felon/ bad mother and reinforced the assumptions that motherhood is compulsory and should be reserved for women with enough money and standing to give their children advantages. The implications for understanding motherhood as a mechanism of moral identity and social control are discussed.
Repository Citation
Aiello, B. L.,
&
McQueeney, K.
(2016). “How Can You Live Without Your Kids?”: Distancing from and Embracing the Stigma of “Incarcerated Mother”. Journal of Prison Education and Reentry, 3(1), 32-49.
Available at: https://scholarworks.merrimack.edu/crm_facpub/15
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
