SRIG 24-38: How does incarceration and parole affect Indigenous mothers in Canada?

What was the issue being addressed?

Our research examines Indigenous carceral motherhood – the experiences of Indigenous mothers when they are incarcerated and/or on parole – which is vastly under researched. In 2001, the Mother Child Program was introduced in attempt to keep incarcerated mothers and their children together; however, there are significant issues that impact its usage – particularly for Indigenous participants. For instance, the program requirements are punitive, only rendering a select few Indigenous mothers to be eligible (Scheuneman Scott, 2019). Despite eligibility, research continues to show little participation from Indigenous mothers. By examining Bobbie Kidd’s story, the first mother in Canada to live with her baby in prison, we explore a time before there were rules and regulations in place, as well as some of the history that led to the development of the MCP. We conclude by amplifying Bobbie’s recommendations for how to improve Indigenous carceral motherhood in today’s context. 

Provide a brief, lay description of the work undertaken/initiative.

Together, we worked on a journal article that examines Bobbie Kidd’s experiences as the first woman in Canada to live with her baby in prison. The article examines mothering in carceral settings before the inception of the Correctional Service Canada’s Mother and Child Program in 2001 and is largely framed by a conversation between Dr. Isabel Scheuneman Scott and Bobbie Kidd, an Indigenous mother who was formerly incarcerated and is currently on parole. We examined Kidd’s supports and challenges over time – including while she was pregnant, mothering in prison, and mothering on parole. Throughout our article, we contextualize and consider Bobbie’s experience alongside other women’s stories such as those published in Tightwire – a prisoner-produced newsletter in the Prison for Women where Bobbie was incarcerated – as well as research projects that were conducted in the same historical period as Bobbie’s story. 

What is the expected impact this project will have on the community?

In Dr. Scheuneman Scott’s previous research (Scheuneman Scott, 2019), she identified scholarly gaps regarding Indigenous women’s experiences of motherhood in carceral settings and research that centers incarcerated mothers' voices. Furthermore, Sapkota et al. (2022) indicates that there is a dearth of research regarding the informal supports of incarcerated mothers. This project begins to address these gaps and provides critical counter-narratives to deficit-based perspectives regarding Indigenous carceral motherhood. By centering counter-narratives and stories of success alongside significant challenges, our hope is that this project will challenge the stigma experienced by mothers who are incarcerated and/or on parole. It is important to the women who were incarcerated at the Prison for Women (P4W), the first federal women’s prison in Canada, that their voices are seriously considered and amplified in the hopes of educating people impacted by and/or working in carceral spaces.