Discussion Article Analysis 1

In Article 1, we meet two mothers, Jessie and Rebecca, who are inmates at a Women’s prison in

Auckland, New Zealand. They have an opportunity at this prison to live separately from the rest

of the prison population in a compound of 2 houses where 6 mothers and their babies or toddlers

live. Here they are responsible for the full-time care and support of their babies while also

completing their prison responsibilities and meeting their sentences’ requirements. The purpose

of these parenting compounds is to reduce the recidivism of inmates and to improve the chances

their children will not follow in the footsteps of their mothers when they get older. What

experiences in this controlled setting do you feel will benefit the mother and child? How can you

support your position with the three listed concepts or theories? Molly is securely attached to her

mother and, apparently, is willing to be cared for by other mothers in the unit when Rebecca

goes to class. She has separation anxiety which is normal at this stage of development and

manifests itself when she is taken from the facility by her grandmother. As securely attached

infants become toddlers and older, they are better able to make new attachments with new people

such as childcare teachers. They are often happy to see a caregiver, but unhappy when their Mom

leaves them. Molly will struggle with missing her mother when she goes to live with her

grandmother at the age of 2. With careful planning and support for Molly’s transition to her

grandmother’s home, Molly can adjust to the change and will be reunited with her mother in a

few months.

Your analysis will evaluate the relationship Molly has with her mother in the prison and her

well-being there. What evidence did you find in the article that supports your conclusion? You

will further the analysis by considering her transition to her grandmother if Rebecca is not able to

leave the prison when Molly does. Here are some questions that might help you reflect on this

article and the effects of this prison program on Molly and her mother. How has the prison

program prepared Rebecca for parenting after she is released? The strong bond of healthy

attachment to a parent becomes the foundation for children to form new attachments as they get

older. What could Rebecca and her mother do to prepare Molly for the transition? What guidance

could Molly’s grandmother be given about her interactions with Molly that would nurture

Molly’s attachment to her? What could the prison program provide in support of a child’s

transition to another caregiver until the mother is released? I am not asking you to answer these

questions in your paper. Use them and others you may have to guide your interpretation of the

article and analysis of the effects of the program on participants.