Sisters on the Inside, Babies on the Outside - The Wire

Breastfeeding is important for the development of a child. But what happens when the mother is in prison. Recently an Aboriginal boy was born to a mother who was a prisoner in Queensland. Ideally the mother could have her child with her, but purpose-built cells are few.The pair were separated and the mother was not given a breast pump so that she could provide milk to the child from prison. Support group Sisters Inside tried to get one to her.

A Spokesperson for Queensland Corrective Services provided this statement: “Mothers wishing to keep their baby with them in prison must make an application to Queensland Corrective Services. The decision to allow babies to remain or not is made after in-depth consultation with primarily Child Safety, and a number of other key service providers. Every decision is made with the best interests of the child the priority.The mother’s unit at [the featured mother's Queensland prison] is currently under capacity." [Image: Bars by Cross Duck on April 2 2012, Flickr]

Story and Text from 'The Wire' http://www.thewire.org.au/

Featured in story Debbie Kilroy CEO of Sisters Inside Dr Jennifer James senior lecturer and course coordinator in Nursing at RMIT University

Kat Armstrong Director Women In Prison Advocacy Network