Motherhood and Incarceration in Chile

A Feminist-Critical Dialogue Between Literature and Practice

Bibliographic Data

ID24020570
AuthorsXimena de-Toro Consuagra (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, corresponding author), Nathalia Salamanca Sarmiento (UNESCO), Francisca Hidalgo (Marmara University)
Year2026
Pages1-18
Publication date2026-08-02
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueWomen & Criminal Justice (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0897-4454 • E-ISSN: 1541-0323
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/08974454.2026.2709769
OpenAlexW7172226373
LanguageEN
References cited21

This article examines motherhood in Chilean prisons through a feminist-criminological lens, placing academic and gray literature in dialogue with the perspectives of professionals from EnMarcha, a Chilean NGO that works directly with incarcerated mothers, infants, and caregivers. Combining a scoping review with a situated listening exercise, the study identifies convergences around structural barriers to maternal health, bonding, and psychosocial support, while exposing gaps in how care transitions are managed when children leave prison at age two. Findings highlight the invisibility of caregivers, the fragility of the mother–child bond, and the need to reconceptualize release as a rights-based process requiring intersectoral responses.

Active listening · Fragility · Invisibility · Prison · Psychosocial · Situated · Child Abuse and Trauma · Counseling, Therapy, and Family Dynamics · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis

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