Improving the lives of children with incarcerated mothers

This project aims to identify how children’s experiences of maternal incarceration shape the course of their lives. These children are one of the most vulnerable yet invisible groups in society, and are rising in number.

We will look at how the system works by examining the child protection, justice, education and health services. Using a unique linked dataset across 30 years and three generations, we will look at the social and economic outcomes and how these are affected by prison, child and maternal characteristics.

This study expects to advance the knowledge of the social and financial impact of maternal incarceration by providing critical evidence to inform prevention strategies. The project has the potential to disrupt intergenerational patterns of profound disadvantage through its research.

Specifically, our work will:

• Determine the scope of the population of WA children who experience the incarceration of their mother throughout their childhood.
• Determine the impact of maternal incarceration on children’s and mothers’ health and social outcomes.
• Estimate the costs of maternal incarceration to individuals and society.