The social stigma generated by the prison system in children of incarcerated women in Brazil

Abstract

The present study investigates the complex interaction between the prison system and the children of incarcerated women, exploring the hypothesis that maternal imprisonment can act as a stigmatization factor for these children. Based on Erving Goffman's Stigma Theory, which highlights stigmatization as a social process, this study seeks to analyze how the children of incarcerated women are affected by this experience and how this can shape their identity and perception of themselves in society. This research, using a hypothetical-deductive methodology, based on the technique of bibliographical and documentary research, has the general objective of investigating how the imprisonment of women can constitute a factor of stigmatization for their children, exploring the psychosocial implications of this stigma in their lives. From this perspective, the problem that guides the research can be summarized as follows: to what extent can the imprisonment of women generate stigma that affects the identity and psychosocial well-being of their children? The results obtained, based on scientific, theoretical and bibliographical bases, demonstrate that the children of incarcerated women in fact face indirect stigma due to their mothers' contact with the prison system. This stigma manifests itself in many ways, affecting not only the external perception of these children, but also their own view of themselves. Furthermore, stigma often causes the sentence associated with their mothers' imprisonment to be extended, negatively impacting their mental health, psychosocial development, and future opportunities.