Abstract
The penitentiary policy in Cameroon does not accommodate the admission of pregnant women, nursing mothers and children in prison. Hence there are no provisions for this category of persons. However, this does not translate into what happens in practice where pregnant women are occasionally arrested and they deliver in prison while others are sentenced as nursing mothers with children inside and outside of prison. These mothers are sometimes incarcerated in the same cell with other generations of prisoners—the elderly and minors. This chapter therefore, discusses the discrepancy between policy and practice regarding the effects of incarceration on female prisoners and their children in the Cameroon penitentiary system. It unveils the coping strategies employed by female prisoners to deal with motherhood. Data is qualitative, based on observations and interviews with female prisoners, prison staff members and NGO representatives using standpoint feminist theory as a point of departure.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
ACHPR. (1999). Prisons in the Gambia. Report on a visit 21–26 June 1999, Series IV, No. 5. Special Rapporteur on Prisons and Conditions of Detention in Africa.
ACHPR. (2001). Prisons in Uganda. Report on the visit 11–22 March 2001.Special Rapporteur on Prisons and Conditions of Detention in Africa.
ACHPR. (2002). Prisons in Cameroon. Report of the Special Rapporteur on Prisons and Condition of Detention in Africa.The ACHPR. Report to the government of the Republic of Cameroon on the visit of the Special Rapporteur on prisons and conditions of detention in Africa. From 2–15 September 2002. ACHPR/37/OS/11/437 Cameroon Penitentiary Regulation, legislation 92/052/27 January 1992.
ACHPR. (2004). Prisons in Ethiopia. Report on a visit 15–29 March 2004, Series IV, No. 8. Special Rapporteur on Prisons and Conditions of Detention in Africa.
Acoca, L. (1997). Hearts on the ground: Violent victimization and other themes in the lives of women prisoners. Corrections Management Quarterly, 1, 50.
Babbie, E. (2013). The practice of social research (13th ed.). Wadsworth.
Bhuller, M., Dahl, G., Loken, K., & Mogstad, M. (2018). Intergenerational effects of incarceration (Working Paper 24227). Cambridge.
Byrne, M. W., Goshin, L. S., & Joestl, S. S. (2010). Intergenerational transmission of attachment for infants raised in a prison nursery. Attachment and Human Development, 12(4), 375–393. https://doi.org/10.1080/14616730903417011
Chesney-Lind, M. (2006). Patriarchy, crime and Justice: Feminist criminology in an era of backlash. Sage available at: http://fcx.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/1/1/6. pp. 6–26. Accessed on 7 May 2008.
Chirwa, D. (2002). The merits and demerits of the African charter on the rights and welfare of the child. International Journal of Children’s Rights, 10(4), 157–177.
Corston Report. (2007). The Corston report: A report by Baroness Jean Corston of a review of women with particular vulnerabilities in the criminal justice system. Home Office.
Dankwa, V. (2008). Overcrowding in African prisons. In J. Sarkin (Ed.), Human rights in African prisons (pp. 83–90). HSRC.
Delgado, K. J. (2011). The impact of incarceration on families: A summary of the Literature. Wright State University.
Du Preez, N. (2006). A comparative analysis of imprisoned mothers’ perceptions regarding separation from their children: Case studies from Scotland and South Africa. Child abuse research in South Africa, 7(2), 26–35. Accessed 12 July 2007.
Ehonwa, O. L. (1993). Prisoners in the shadows: A report on women and children in five Nigerian prisons. Civil Liberties Organisation.
Forsythe, B. (1993). Women prisoners and women penal officials: 1840–1821. British Journal of Criminology, 33(4), 525–540.
Gelsthorpe, L. (2002). Feminism and criminology. In M. Maguire, R. Morgan, & R. Reiner (Eds.), Oxford handbook of criminology. Oxford University Press.
Global Prison Trends. (2018). Penal reform International. London. www.penalreform.org
Gose, M. (2002). The African charter on the rights and welfare of the child. Community Law Centre, University of the Western Cape.
Hesselink, A., & Dastile, P. (2010). The reality of babies and toddlers behind bars. Acta Criminogicaspecial Conference Edition, 1, 65–79.
Hirschman, N. J. (1998). Feminist standpoint as a postmodern strategy. Women and Politics, 18(3), 73–92.
Intemann, K. (2010). Twenty-five years of feminist empiricism and standpoint theory: Where are we now? Hypatia, 25(4), 778–796.
Konda, D. (2011). The role of the law in addressing women’s human rights in prisons: Case of Buea and New Bell Prison (University Dissertation).
Kouega, J. (2007). The language situation in Cameroon. Current Issues in Language Planning, 8(1), 3–93.
Light, S. C. (2018). Intergenerational incarceration and inmate adjustment (Master of Science Dissertation: Grand Valley State University).
Linonge-Fontebo, H. N., & Rabe, M. (2015). Mothers in Cameroonian prisons: Pregnancy, childbearing and caring for young children. African Studies, 74(3), 290–309.
Luyt, W. (2008). Imprisoned mothers in South African prisons with children outside of the institution. European Journal of Crime, Criminal Law and Criminal Justice, 16, 299–323. Accessed 2 January 2013.
Mason, J. (2002). Qualitative researching (2nd ed.). Sage.
Modie-Moroka, T., & Sossou, M. (2001). Women, criminality and multi-focal empowerment responses: Some prospects for Botswana. Journal of Social Development in Africa, 16(2), 5–30.
Neuman, W. L. (2006). Social research methods: Qualitative and Quantitative approaches. (6th ed.). Allyn & Bacon.
New Criminal Procedure Code (Cameroon). (2005). Entered into force 1 January 2007.
Owen, B. (1998). In the mix: Struggles and survival in women’s prison. Albany: State of New York University Press.
Player, E. (2005). The reduction of women’s imprisonment in England and Wales. Will reform of shorter sentences help? Punishment and Society, 7(4), 419–439.
Samakaya-Makarati, J. (2003). Female prisoners in ‘male’ prisons. In C. Musengezi, & I. Staunton (Eds.), A tragedy of lives: Women in prison in Zimbabwe. Weaver Press.
Sharp, S. F., Marcus-Mendoza, S.T., Bently, R. G., Simpson, G. B., Love, S. R. (2014). Gender differences in the impact of incarceration on the children and families of drug offenders. 1999. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/253935089.
Siefert, K., & Pimlott, S. (2001). Improving pregnancy outcome during imprisonment: A model residential care program. Social work (Vol.46, No. 2). National Association of social workers Inc.
Sloth-Nielsen, J. (2005). Women and prisons in South Africa. CSPRi Newsletter, Issue No. 9. http://www.easimail.co.za/BackIssues/CSPRI/11FebruaryIssue166.html. Accessed 3 March 2010.
Taylor, R. (2004). Women in prison and children of imprisoned mothers: Preliminary research paper. Quaker United Nations Office.
Tibatemwa-Ekirikubinza, L. (1999). Women’s violent crime in Uganda. Fountain Press.
United Nations. (2008). Handbook for prison managers and policy makers on women and imprisonment: Criminal justice handbook series. Author.
Vetten, L. (2008). The imprisonment of women in Africa. In J. Sarkin (Ed.), Human rights in African prisons (pp. 136–140). HSRC.
Wogaing, J., & Abissi, R. A. (2011). Motherhoods, fatherhoods, parenthood in imprisonment and conflict setting: Be mother and in prison. University of Douala.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Linonge-Fontebo, H.N. (2022). Effects of Incarceration on Families in Cameroon Prisons: Perspectives of Imprisoned Mothers, Minors and the Elderly. In: Gomes, S., Carvalho, M.J.L.d., Duarte, V. (eds) Incarceration and Generation, Volume II. Palgrave Studies in Prisons and Penology. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-82276-7_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-82276-7_6
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-82275-0
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-82276-7
eBook Packages: Law and CriminologyLaw and Criminology (R0)