Treatment programs for incarcerated women and mother-child communication levels

This study surveyed 200 incarcerated mothers to determine if treatment received in prison is related to communication with children. Emphasis is also placed on the relationship between sociodemographic characteristics and treatment. Analyses showed that women who received treatment were more likely to be white. Younger women and women with only one child had the most contact with their children. Further analyses suggest that women who had participated in physical and mental illness treatment programs had more contact with their children. This study suggests the need for more treatment options for incarcerated women, and the need to formulate treatment to best fit the different sociodemographic characteristics of incarcerated women. This study further indicates the need to pursue research to determine specific reasons for differences in contact with children and treatment levels among incarcerated women with different sociodemographic characteristics.