Abstract

Mothers with a mental illness are a relatively invisible cohort within the criminal justice system. Research typically focuses in a siloed way on imprisoned women with a mental illness or those who have children; despite considerable crossover, knowledge about women who straddle this divide is missing. To address this gap, this article draws on data gathered for an Australian Research Council funded study conducted from 2011 to 2015, that examined the arrest and imprisonment of primary carers, and the implications for children. An exploratory mixed methods approach, using structured interviews, was implemented. This article focuses on how 21 mothers with a mental illness navigate the criminal justice system in the state of Victoria, finding that failing to consider the intersection between motherhood and mental illness has significant consequences for this group of mothers. Notably, mental illness creates a barrier to engagement and participation at key decision-making points early in the criminal justice system—particularly at arrest and sentencing where it remains largely invisible. Findings highlight the need to expand gender responsive practice beyond prison.

摘要

患有精神疾病的母亲在刑事司法系统中是一个相对隐形的群体。研究通常以孤立的方式集中在被监禁的患有精神疾病或有孩子的女性身上；尽管有相当多的交叉，但关于跨越这一鸿沟的女性的知识仍然缺失。为了解决这一差距，本文利用了为 2011 年至 2015 年澳大利亚研究委员会资助的一项研究收集的数据，该研究检查了主要照顾者的逮捕和监禁，以及对儿童的影响。实施了使用结构化访谈的探索性混合方法。本文重点关注 21 名患有精神疾病的母亲如何在维多利亚州的刑事司法系统中度过难关，发现未能考虑母性和精神疾病之间的交叉对这组母亲有重大影响。值得注意的是，精神疾病对刑事司法系统早期关键决策点的参与和参与构成了障碍，特别是在逮捕和判刑时，它在很大程度上仍然是不可见的。调查结果强调了将性别敏感实践扩展到监狱之外的必要性。