Regret and Hope for Family Reunion among Mothers of Infants Incarcerated in Peru
Keywords:
emotional regret, family hope, maternal incarceration, psychosocial support, social reintegration.Abstract
Introduction: This study addresses the experience of incarcerated mothers of infants in Peru, focusing on their feelings of regret and their longing for family reunification.Objective: To explore the experiences of regret and hope for family reunion among incarcerated mothers of infants, to better understand the emotional and social impact of imprisonment and to highlight the importance of family support in the social reintegration process.
Methods: The study adheres to a naturalistic paradigm, employing a qualitative approach with a hermeneutic phenomenological design. Data collection was conducted through workshops and semi-structured interviews with 29 incarcerated women, focusing on the mother-child relationship, adversity and communication for personal growth. The workshops facilitated reflection and authentic expression on themes of relational bonding, destiny in the face of adversity and communication for personal development. Throughout the process, informed consent, confidentiality, and participant privacy were prioritized.
Results: Participants expressed profound regret, highlighting sadness, pain, and the desire not to reoffend. The hope for family reunification emerged as a strong motivator for their rehabilitation. Semantic networks revealed the importance of family reconnection, love, and personal overcoming in their future aspirations.
Conclusions: The study showed how regret and hope for family reunion are crucial for their emotional well-being and reintegration process. It also highlighted the need for policies and support programs that specifically address the needs of incarcerated mothers and their families to facilitate rehabilitation and the reconstruction of family life after incarceration.
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References
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23. Alemineh YT, Abegaz MD, Alemu NE. Incarcerated women's lived experience: a study in Dessie and Woldia correctional centers, Ethiopia [Internet]. J Criminol Res Policy Pract. 2022 [acceso: 24/10/2023]; 8(1):89-101. Disponible en: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JCRPP-07-2021-0045
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25. Castle KM. A Sisterhood: The Collective Resilience Born in the Periphery of Prison [Internet]. Sociol Inq. 2023 [acceso: 24/01/2023]; 93(1):117-52. Disponible en: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/soin.12510
26. Sapkota D, Dennison S, Allen J, Gamble J, Williams C, Malope-Rwodzi N, et al. Navigating pregnancy and early motherhood in prison: a thematic analysis of mothers' experiences [Internet]. Heal Justice. 2022 [acceso: 24/01/2024]; 10(1):32. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40352-022-00196-4
27. Augsburger A, Neri C, Bodenmann P, Gravier B, Jaquier V, Clair C. Assessing incarcerated women's physical and mental health status and needs in a Swiss prison: a cross-sectional study [Internet]. Heal Justice. 2022 [acceso: 24/01/2024]; 10(1):1-16. Disponible en: https://healthandjusticejournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186-/s40352-022-00171-z
28. Isidro RV, Oberio R, Petrola JPJ. Conquering the experiences of pain, boredom and despair among selected incarcerated mothers through alternative learning system activities [Internet]. Int J Public Heal Sci. 2022 [acceso: 20/01/2024]; 11(1):303-9. Disponible en: http://doi.org/10.11591/ijphs.v11i1.21067
29. Korzh A. 'You have been punished in prison. And then when you are released, you are punished for life': Post-incarceration barriers for women in Ukraine [Internet]. Int Sociol. 2022 [acceso: 24/01/2024]; 37(3):373-90. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.1177/02685809221084447
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33. Flores-Ruiz E, Miranda-Novales MG, Villasís-Keever MÁ. El protocolo de investigación VI: cómo elegir la prueba estadística adecuada. Estadística inferencial [Internet]. Rev Alerg México. 2017 [acceso: 20/01/2024]; 64(3):364. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.29262/ram.v64i3.304
34. World Medical Association. Declaration of Helsinki: Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Human Subjects [Internet]. Clin Rev Educ. 2013 [acceso: 20/10/2023]; 310(20):2191-4. Disponible en: https://www.wma.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/DoH-Oct2013-JAMA.pdf
35. Campana LG, Cornwell CS. Evaluation of a Family Wellness Course for Persons in Prison [Internet]. J Correct Educ. 2015 [acceso: 20/01/2024]; 66(1):45-57. Disponible en: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1053957
2. Tomczak P. Highlighting "Risky Remands" Through Prisoner Death Investigations: People With Very Severe Mental Illness Transitioning From Police and Court Custody Into Prison on Remand [Internet]. Front Psychiatry. 2022; 13:862365. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.862365
3. Kjellstrand J, Clark M, Caffery C, Smith J, Eddy JM. Reentering the Community after Prison: Perspectives on the Role and Importance of Social Support [Internet]. Am J Crim Justice. 2022 [acceso: 24/10/2023]; 47(2):176-201. Disponible en: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12103-020-09596-4#citeas
4. Derrida J. On Cosmopolitanism and Forgiveness [Internet]. 1st ed. Routledge; 2001 [acceso: 24/08/2023]. Disponible en: https://www.routledge.com/On-Cosmopolitanism-and-Forgiveness/Derrida/p/book/9780415227124
5. García Arévalo P. El perdón. Una investigación filosófica, de Mariano Crespo [Internet]. Rev Filos open insight. 2017 [acceso: 25/10/2023]; 8(14):275-9. Disponible en: http://www.scielo.org.mx/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2007-24062017000200275&lng=es&nrm=iso&tlng=es
6. Enright RD, North J. Exploring Forgiveness [Internet]. 1st ed. Wisconsin: Univ of Wisconsin Press; 1998. [acceso: 24/10/2023]. Disponible en: https://books.google.com.pe/books?id=TwnxRMunnqEC&source=gbs_-navlinks_s
7. Murphy JG. Getting Even: Forgiveness and Its Limits [Internet]. Oxford University Press; 2005. DOI: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195178555.001.0001
8. Holloway R. On Forgiveness: How Can We Forgive the Unforgivable? [Internet]. Main edici. Canongate U.S.; 2002. [acceso: 20/12/2023]. Disponible en: https://www.amazon.com/-/es/Richard-Holloway/dp/184195358X
9. Piñas Mesa A. La antropología de la esperanza de Pedro Laín Entralgo [Internet]. Facies Domini. 2013 [acceso: 20/12/2023]; 5:217-34. Disponible en: https://repositorioinstitucional.ceu.es/bitstream/10637/7591/1/Antrop-ología_AntonioPiñas_FaciesDomini_2013.pdf
10. Golu F, Gorbănescu A. Applications of Personal Development in the re-education of Imprisoned Women [Internet]. Procedia - Soc Behav Sci. 2014; 127:606-10. DOI: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.03.320
11. Hepburn JM. A Problem of Guilt: An Exploration of Feelings of Guilt as an Obstacle to Psychic Change [Internet]. Br J Psychother. 2012; 28(2):188-200. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-0118.2012.01277.x
12. ONUDD. Guía de Introducción a la Prevención de la Reincidencia y la Reintegración Social de Delincuentes [Internet]. Nueva York: ONUDD; 2013 [acceso: 20/12/2023]. Disponible en: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237052899_Guia_de_Intro-duccion_a_la_Prevencion_de_la_Reincidencia_y_la_Reintegracion_S-ocial_de_Delincuentes
13. Ofori-Dua K, Forkuor JB, Onzaberigu NJ. Finding Solace Behind Bars: Experiences of Inmates in Kumasi Central Prison [Internet]. Journal of Victimology and Victim Justice. 2020 [acceso: 24/01/2024]; 3(2):183-201. Disponible en: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2516606920965341
14. Jang SJ, Johnson BR, Anderson ML, Booyens K. Religion and Rehabilitation in Colombian and South African Prisons: A Human Flourishing Approach [Internet]. 2022 [acceso: 24/01/2024]; 33(3):225-52. Disponible en: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/10575677221123249
15. Wai-Ming Mak V, Man-Yin Ho S, Li WL, Ka-Yan Pau B. Relationships between hope and mental health among women in prison [Internet]. Crim Behav Ment Heal. 2021 [acceso: 24/01/2024]; 31(2):96-108. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.1002/cbm.2191
16. Fortune D, Arai SM, Lyons KJ. Relational possibilities for women leaving prison: renewed hope for inclusion and belonging [Internet]. Contemp Justice Rev. 2020 [acceso: 20/01/2024]; 23(1):3-21. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.1080/10282580.2019.1700367
17. Ghelbash Z, Yektatalab S, Momennasab M, Foruhi Z. Effect of group-based logotherapy on imprisoned women's level of hope: a randomized controlled trial (RCT) [Internet]. Int J Prison Health. 2020 [acceso: 20/01/2024]; 17(2):87-97. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPH-05-2020-0032
18. Soledad Gesteria CV, Graziano F. La construcción de significados sobre la maternidad en prisión. Mujeres presas en cárceles de la provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina [Internet]. Desacatos. 2019 [acceso: 20/01/2024]; (61):82-97. Disponible en: https://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=13964901006
19. Kızılkaya M, Sağlık MÜ, Fakültesi B, Abd H. The effect of psychoeducation on the social skills and problem-solving skills of female prisoners [Internet]. J Psychiatr Nurs. 2022 [acceso: 13/10/2023]; 13(1):1-8. Disponible en: https://phdergi.org/jvi.aspx?un=PHD-92653&volume=13&issue=1
20. Mustofa M, West BS, Sri Supadmi M, Sari H. Challenges to mothering while incarcerated: preliminary study of two women's prisons in Java, Indonesia [Internet]. Int J Prison Health. 2019 [acceso: 12/02/2023]; 15(1):37-45. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPH-06-2017-0031
21. Easterling BA, Feldmeyer B, Presser L. Narrating Mother Identities From Prison. [Internet]. Feminist Criminology. 2018 [acceso: 12/02/2023]; 14(5):519-39. Disponible en: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1557085118773457?-journalCode=fcxa
22. Gois I, Kane E. Me-thinking: report on a pilot intervention with women in custody [Internet]. Ther Communities. 2022 [acceso: 24/12/2023]; 43(2):111-25. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.1108/TC-11-2021-0024
23. Alemineh YT, Abegaz MD, Alemu NE. Incarcerated women's lived experience: a study in Dessie and Woldia correctional centers, Ethiopia [Internet]. J Criminol Res Policy Pract. 2022 [acceso: 24/10/2023]; 8(1):89-101. Disponible en: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JCRPP-07-2021-0045
24. Adamchuk I, Abulafia J. Women Decision-Making and Responsibility-Taking of Criminal Lifestyle: The Israeli Case [Internet]. Crim Justice Behav. 2022 [acceso: 24/10/2023]; 49(6):872-90. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.1177/00938548211066902
25. Castle KM. A Sisterhood: The Collective Resilience Born in the Periphery of Prison [Internet]. Sociol Inq. 2023 [acceso: 24/01/2023]; 93(1):117-52. Disponible en: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/soin.12510
26. Sapkota D, Dennison S, Allen J, Gamble J, Williams C, Malope-Rwodzi N, et al. Navigating pregnancy and early motherhood in prison: a thematic analysis of mothers' experiences [Internet]. Heal Justice. 2022 [acceso: 24/01/2024]; 10(1):32. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40352-022-00196-4
27. Augsburger A, Neri C, Bodenmann P, Gravier B, Jaquier V, Clair C. Assessing incarcerated women's physical and mental health status and needs in a Swiss prison: a cross-sectional study [Internet]. Heal Justice. 2022 [acceso: 24/01/2024]; 10(1):1-16. Disponible en: https://healthandjusticejournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186-/s40352-022-00171-z
28. Isidro RV, Oberio R, Petrola JPJ. Conquering the experiences of pain, boredom and despair among selected incarcerated mothers through alternative learning system activities [Internet]. Int J Public Heal Sci. 2022 [acceso: 20/01/2024]; 11(1):303-9. Disponible en: http://doi.org/10.11591/ijphs.v11i1.21067
29. Korzh A. 'You have been punished in prison. And then when you are released, you are punished for life': Post-incarceration barriers for women in Ukraine [Internet]. Int Sociol. 2022 [acceso: 24/01/2024]; 37(3):373-90. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.1177/02685809221084447
30. Mondé GC. This Is Our Freedom: Motherhood in the Shadow of the American Prison System [Internet]. Vol. 1, This Is Our Freedom: Motherhood in the Shadow of the American Prison System. California: University of California Press; 2022. [acceso: 24/01/2024]. Disponible en: https://www.amazon.com/This-Our-Freedom-Motherhood-American/dp/0520380711
31. Gallagher S, Zahavi D. La mente fenomenológica [Internet]. Memphis: Zahavi; 2013. [acceso: 20/01/2024]. Disponible en: https://www.alianzaeditorial.es/libro/manuales/la-mente-fenomenologica-shaun-gallagher-9788420677958/
32. Merz JF. The Nuremberg Code and Informed Consent for Research [Internet]. JAMA. 2018 [acceso: 27/10/2023]; 319(1):85-6. Disponible en: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2667714
33. Flores-Ruiz E, Miranda-Novales MG, Villasís-Keever MÁ. El protocolo de investigación VI: cómo elegir la prueba estadística adecuada. Estadística inferencial [Internet]. Rev Alerg México. 2017 [acceso: 20/01/2024]; 64(3):364. Disponible en: https://doi.org/10.29262/ram.v64i3.304
34. World Medical Association. Declaration of Helsinki: Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Human Subjects [Internet]. Clin Rev Educ. 2013 [acceso: 20/10/2023]; 310(20):2191-4. Disponible en: https://www.wma.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/DoH-Oct2013-JAMA.pdf
35. Campana LG, Cornwell CS. Evaluation of a Family Wellness Course for Persons in Prison [Internet]. J Correct Educ. 2015 [acceso: 20/01/2024]; 66(1):45-57. Disponible en: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1053957
Published
2024-06-14
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Ledesma Pérez FE, Cruz Montero JM, Reynosa Navarro E, Vela Meléndez L, Montañez Huancaya de Salinas AP. Regret and Hope for Family Reunion among Mothers of Infants Incarcerated in Peru. Rev Cubana Med Milit [Internet]. 2024 Jun. 14 [cited 2025 Apr. 4];53(2):e02456116. Available from: https://revmedmilitar.sld.cu/index.php/mil/article/view/56116
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