Three ways on how a prison environment can affect the social development of a child The ripple effects of the carceral system extend far beyond the prison walls, permeating into the lives of families, especially children. When a parent is incarcerated, their children often bear the brunt of the consequences. Among the many challenges they face, the social development of these children can be significantly impacted. In this article, we explore three ways in which the prison environment affects the social development of a child.
What the Law says
Section 20(1) of the Correctional Services Act 111 of 1998 (as amended by the Correctional Services Amendment Act 25 of 2008) states that children of the convicted mothers may accompany their mothers in prison up until the age of two years. The intention of this section is based on the needs of a child to bond with the mother immediately after birth. A newborn baby naturally benefits significantly by being close to the mother. Also, most mothers would greatly appreciate naturing their newborns from day one.
However, prison environments are not the most suitable environments to raise and nature a child in. The detrimental state of prisons may somewhat affect the social development of a child in many ways.
Three ways on how a prison environment can affect the social development of a child
Amongst many negative consequences of raising a child within the prison facilities due to its rigid state, below are some of the three ways:
- absence of male role models
- separation from the whole family: father, siblings, and grand parents.
- lack of understanding of the real world outside prison