Study of the Mothers and Children's Program in the NSW Department of Corrective Services (From Women in Corrections: Staff and Clients, P 1-13, 2000, Australian Institute of Criminology -- See NCJ-187936)
This paper profiles the development of New South Wales' (Australia) Mothers and Children's Program, which gives the highest priority to the best interests of the children of mothers who are serving a full-time prison sentence.
The New South Wales Department of Corrective Services recognizes that continuity in the relationship between the primary caregiver and child is of great importance to the child's emotional, intellectual, and social development. The Department also recognizes that imprisonment in itself is neither evidence of a mother's lack of desire nor ability to perform her parental responsibilities. The Mothers and Children's Program includes the following options: approved absence for community visits with children; caring for children full time while in custody to the age of 5 years (Full Time Residence Program); and occasional accommodation for children, such as on weekends and school holidays (Occasional Residence Program). These components are administered with flexibility so as to meet the needs of individual women and children. The Department is committed to broadening the program to include women in pretrial and periodic detention, as well as women in community-based corrections who need assistance as parents. An 8-item bibliography
Australian Institute of Criminology
GPO Box 2944, Canberra ACT, 2601 Australia, Australia
Paper presented at the Women in Corrections: Staff and Clients Conference held in Adelaide, Australia, October 31-November 1, 2000. Downloaded March 21, 2001