Research Paper on:
Incarcerated Women with Children and Correctional Programs

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
a loved one is always difficult, for the children of an incarcerated mother are particularly victimized. Regardless of the reason that their mother was convicted, children, especially the youngest ones,  have no idea why their mother has left them. Older children who may understand the concept of prison must also deal with anger, shame, and a feeling of helplessness along  with their sense of loss when their mother is incarcerated. It seems only logical that providing meaningful programs that address the issues, fears, and concerns of incarcerated mothers and their  children can only serve to improve what is often thought of as a fundamentally impossible situation. It also seems logical that children of incarcerated mothers need extra attention in terms  of dealing with being separated from their mothers and the reasons for such separations. How is a child to cognitively process the idea that "Mommy did something bad?" What sort  of message does that send the child and how does he or she interpret it? Added to that, is the question of how the childs own development moves forward in  healthy and supportive ways in order to assure that he or she is able to lead a emotionally healthy and stable life. For countless numbers of women, their crime  and subsequent incarceration are the outcomes of other painful life experiences. Lopez (2002) makes note of what she refers to as the "sobering statistics" that are the facts of life  for incarcerated women: "a black or brown urban youth has a greater chance of admission into the state prison than the state university; women presently comprise the fastest-growing prison population;  prison programs (recreation, education and arts activities) are being slashed" (pp. 39). And yet, how can the rest of society ever hope to lessen recidivism rates much less the possibility