SERRAS, Dinora    PIRES, António. «Maternidade atrás das grades» : Comportamento parental em contexto prisional. []. , 22, 2, pp.413-425. ISSN 0870-8231.

The purpose of this essay is to develop a theory about the parental behavior of incarcerated mothers who have their children near them while they have their time in prison. We interviewed six incarcerated mothers in Estabelecimento Prisional de Tires, with ages between twenty three and forty one years old. Their children have ages between one and two years old. We used semi-structured interviews with open questions about the life experiences of these mothers, their daily life difficulties and how they are oversteped. The interviews were recorded, and than transcribed and analysed according to the Grounded Theory method. We verified that these mothers put their children in the center of their lives and this becomes a very dependent relationship between both of them. Simultaneously, this relationship is also more near and suitable. The mothers center their lives in the children, in part because they feel some culpability for keeping the children in prison and also they fear their children reaction in the future.

: Parental behavior; mother; prison; child; Grounded Theory.

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