Six months not enough - Cuthbert-Flynn urges longer bonding for incarcerated mothers

The Government is considering extending the time incarcerated mothers can spend with their newborns immediately after birth. Junior national security minister Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn said that the current six-month bonding period is insufficient for fostering a meaningful connection between mother and child. She believes a full year would provide a better opportunity for both bonding and rehabilitation.

"The policy now is for mothers to keep the baby for six months and I don't think that is enough time. Most mothers breastfeed for six months, but you want that bonding for rehabilitation purpose, and also to give that baby a chance to know their mother. We are looking to extend that period for at least a year," Cuthbert-Flynn said.

The first-ever infant nursery established for incarcerated expectant mothers was formally opened at the South Camp Adult Correctional Centre in Kingston last Tuesday. The facility, built at a cost of more than $13 million, comprises three rooms furnished with cribs, beds, toys, and feeding chairs, and has a general wash area with changing table, and shower and bathroom facilities. It is also equipped with two ramps to facilitate wheelchair access.

Cuthbert-Flynn said an average of two babies are born inside the penal system each year.

"Over the last eight years, we have been having approximately two babies a year [being born], where you have mothers who are incarcerated, who come to the facility pregnant, they end up giving birth while they are incarcerated," she said.

Cuthbert-Flynn said the nursery's establishment is in keeping with the ministry's ongoing efforts to provide an environment that is conducive to rehabilitation.

"This nursery is a testament to our Government's commitment to modernising our correctional system and ensuring that, even within these walls, there is a space for compassion, there is a space for dignity, and there is a space for growth. This is not just brick and mortar. It is also a signal of our vision for a more inclusive and humane correctional service," she said.