Vickie Roach knows the difference it makes to be able to raise your baby in prison.
Incarcerated at the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre in Victoria for several years, Roach saw firsthand the benefits of the Living with Mum program, which permits some women to have their baby with them in prison.
“Kids soften the jail,” Roach told About Time. “Kids make the jail a whole different place. The kids themselves, it was of no harm to them whatsoever – they grew up with 300 aunties.
“And the women themselves would modify their behaviour because of the kids.”
The Living with Mum program is one of many across the country that permit women to raise their baby in a dedicated area of a prison. These programs vary in eligibility and age restrictions.
South Australia is currently the only Australian state or territory that does not have any such program in operation.
Despite backing the programs, there are concerns about how difficult they can be to access and that some only allow a baby to stay with their mother until they are one year old.
The benefits of allowing mothers to live with their babies in prison have been widely recognised, with the Yoorrook Justice Commission saying doing so is “critical” to the wellbeing of the child and the mother.
SHINE for Kids runs a number of programs for women in custody with their child. The organisation currently operates in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and the ACT and is pushing for their services to be available more widely across prisons in Australia.
“These programs provide mothers the opportunity to access support and resources they might otherwise not have, including visits from a children’s nurse and activities to support children’s development,” SHINE for Kids CEO Julie Hourigan told About Time.
“It would be greatly beneficial to mothers in custody and their children for programs like ours to be available more widely in Australia and would help support families to be set up for success when a mother is released.”
In Victoria, the Living with Mum program is for women in prison who are the primary carers of an infant or young child – or are pregnant – and it allows the child to reside in the prison until they reach school age.
Dedicated units for mothers and children, consisting of cottage-style units with a self-contained kitchen, living area, bedroom and bathroom, are located at the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre and Tarrengower Prison.
A number of organisations and inquiries have raised concerns around difficulties for women in accessing this program and its eligibility criteria.
The Yoorrook Justice Commission has heard that there are long delays in accessing it, and getting in is particularly difficult for First Nations women.
Without programs such as these, women who are pregnant while in prison will have their baby removed from their care within days of giving birth.
Roach said she had seen the difficulties women had in accessing this program and the harm that removing mothers from their newborn babies can have.
She said that during her time in prison she saw a one-day-old baby taken from her incarcerated mother and that it then took seven months to get the baby back into the jail.
Vickie Roach knows the difference it makes to be able to raise your baby in prison.
Incarcerated at the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre in Victoria for several years, Roach saw firsthand the benefits of the Living with Mum program, which permits some women to have their baby with them in prison.
“Kids soften the jail,” Roach told About Time. “Kids make the jail a whole different place. The kids themselves, it was of no harm to them whatsoever – they grew up with 300 aunties.
“And the women themselves would modify their behaviour because of the kids.”
The Living with Mum program is one of many across the country that permit women to raise their baby in a dedicated area of a prison. These programs vary in eligibility and age restrictions.
South Australia is currently the only Australian state or territory that does not have any such program in operation.
Despite backing the programs, there are concerns about how difficult they can be to access and that some only allow a baby to stay with their mother until they are one year old.
The benefits of allowing mothers to live with their babies in prison have been widely recognised, with the Yoorrook Justice Commission saying doing so is “critical” to the wellbeing of the child and the mother.
SHINE for Kids runs a number of programs for women in custody with their child. The organisation currently operates in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and the ACT and is pushing for their services to be available more widely across prisons in Australia.
“These programs provide mothers the opportunity to access support and resources they might otherwise not have, including visits from a children’s nurse and activities to support children’s development,” SHINE for Kids CEO Julie Hourigan told About Time.
“It would be greatly beneficial to mothers in custody and their children for programs like ours to be available more widely in Australia and would help support families to be set up for success when a mother is released.”
In Victoria, the Living with Mum program is for women in prison who are the primary carers of an infant or young child – or are pregnant – and it allows the child to reside in the prison until they reach school age.
Dedicated units for mothers and children, consisting of cottage-style units with a self-contained kitchen, living area, bedroom and bathroom, are located at the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre and Tarrengower Prison.
A number of organisations and inquiries have raised concerns around difficulties for women in accessing this program and its eligibility criteria.
The Yoorrook Justice Commission has heard that there are long delays in accessing it, and getting in is particularly difficult for First Nations women.
Without programs such as these, women who are pregnant while in prison will have their baby removed from their care within days of giving birth.
Roach said she had seen the difficulties women had in accessing this program and the harm that removing mothers from their newborn babies can have.
She said that during her time in prison she saw a one-day-old baby taken from her incarcerated mother and that it then took seven months to get the baby back into the jail.
In New South Wales, women can raise their baby in prison through the Corrective Services NSW’s Women and Children’s Residential Program.
At the purpose-built Jacaranda Cottages at the Emu Plains Correctional Centre, children up to school age can live with their mother in prison full time, while older children may be allowed to stay occasionally during school holidays.
A program in Queensland also facilitates children living with their mother in prison until they are of school age. This is only allowed at prisons which have a dedicated parental support unit and may be granted if there is suitable accommodation, there is no court order in place and it is deemed to be in the child’s best interests.
SHINE for Kids Queensland Manager Jessica Clancy said allowing mothers to have their babies and young children with them in prison is “important for emotional, developmental, social and even rehabilitative reasons”.
“It helps children to build secure attachment to their primary caregiver, which supports healthy emotional and psychological development,” Clancy told About Time.
“For some mothers and children they also have more quality time together as influences that may have impacted their life before are limited or not in their environment in custody. I have even had women say to me, ‘I am a better mum now than when I was back home.’”
Clancy said that women she has worked with in prison are more engaged with rehabilitation programs when they have their children with them.
“They’re more motivated to change for their child’s sake,” Clancy said. “Women in custody with access to parenting programs and opportunities to have time with their child, like in our playgroup program, tend to have better outcomes.”
The parenting programs in other states and territories have significantly lower age thresholds.
In Tasmania, a parenting facility at the Mary Hutchinson Women’s Prison is only accessible for women with children aged under two years old, while a new purpose-built facility at the Darwin Correctional Centre in the Northern Territory has a cut off of 12 months.
The Bandyup prison in Western Australia also has a mother and baby unit, where babies aged up to 12 months can live with their mother.
While South Australia does not have its own program, it did recently launch a new scheme to help incarcerated parents re-engage with their children. This program works to connect mothers with workers to ensure they are informed about their children’s circumstances and are able to be involved in decision-making around them, with the aim for them to be reunited upon their release.
In New South Wales, women can raise their baby in prison through the Corrective Services NSW’s Women and Children’s Residential Program.
At the purpose-built Jacaranda Cottages at the Emu Plains Correctional Centre, children up to school age can live with their mother in prison full time, while older children may be allowed to stay occasionally during school holidays.
A program in Queensland also facilitates children living with their mother in prison until they are of school age. This is only allowed at prisons which have a dedicated parental support unit and may be granted if there is suitable accommodation, there is no court order in place and it is deemed to be in the child’s best interests.
SHINE for Kids Queensland Manager Jessica Clancy said allowing mothers to have their babies and young children with them in prison is “important for emotional, developmental, social and even rehabilitative reasons”.
“It helps children to build secure attachment to their primary caregiver, which supports healthy emotional and psychological development,” Clancy told About Time.
“For some mothers and children they also have more quality time together as influences that may have impacted their life before are limited or not in their environment in custody. I have even had women say to me, ‘I am a better mum now than when I was back home.’”
Clancy said that women she has worked with in prison are more engaged with rehabilitation programs when they have their children with them.
“They’re more motivated to change for their child’s sake,” Clancy said. “Women in custody with access to parenting programs and opportunities to have time with their child, like in our playgroup program, tend to have better outcomes.”
The parenting programs in other states and territories have significantly lower age thresholds.
In Tasmania, a parenting facility at the Mary Hutchinson Women’s Prison is only accessible for women with children aged under two years old, while a new purpose-built facility at the Darwin Correctional Centre in the Northern Territory has a cut off of 12 months.
The Bandyup prison in Western Australia also has a mother and baby unit, where babies aged up to 12 months can live with their mother.
While South Australia does not have its own program, it did recently launch a new scheme to help incarcerated parents re-engage with their children. This program works to connect mothers with workers to ensure they are informed about their children’s circumstances and are able to be involved in decision-making around them, with the aim for them to be reunited upon their release.
Including tough bail laws being introduced in Victoria, the South Australian Government ruling out raising the age of criminal responsibility, a new parole board president appointed in Queensland and more.
The Australian Federal election is coming up. This is about voting for the Prime Minister and other federal politicians. It will be held on 3 May 2025.
“We can’t get information about how a party or candidate’s policies must impact prisoners,” Kelly told About Time. “Prison officers also will not provide us with any information as it is seen as political.”
Prison work differs across the country.
Help us get About Time off the ground. All donations are tax deductible and will be vital in providing an essential resource for people in prison and their loved ones.
Help us get About Time off the ground. All donations are tax deductible and will be vital in providing an essential resource for people in prison and their loved ones.
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