Does it make a difference where we are born? I was born in the Free State and I support the Cheetahs rugby team.
I think that is the only choice that I have made based on where I was born, so does it matter? Does it affect the way we live? Does it influence the choices we make, I wonder?
In South Africa, if a female prisoner has an infant or gives birth, the child may remain in prison with the mother for the first two years.
These children used to live in normal cells with their mothers under very harsh conditions, but it seems things are changing. There are special units available now for these prisoners.
The unit at Pollsmoor prison is called the Baby Mother Unit (BMU) and if you look quickly, it looks like any regular pre-school.
There is a colorful playground and even nannies are available if you find work in other departments in the prison. Sounds much easier than normal prison, but I have to wonder, how does this affect these children?
Stacey Adams, a board member of Babies Behind Bars states: “The women are prisoners at the end of the day, and they don’t get special benefits, and the babies suffer.”
The director of the BMU unit believes that the first two years that are spent bonding decrease the mother’s chances of reoffending.
Bonding can be beneficial but when these kids become two years old they have to leave and their mothers are sent back to ‘normal’ prison. This can be very dramatic for both mother and child.
Studies in the US have found that children of incarcerated mothers have much higher rates of being incarcerated themselves. I find myself asking, does bonding with your mother in prison increase these rates or decrease them?
It seems that treatment is not the same at all prisons and in 2020 a baby who was living in prison with his mother sadly died. There were reports of no food, no formula, and no nappies.
Prison is supposed to serve as a deterrent and is not a place for children. These children become innocent and hidden victims of crime.
Yes, bonding is important for mothers and babies but at what cost?
HAVE YOUR SAY
Like the South Coast Herald’s Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and Instagram
