Rocío López Camino

Abstract: In this article, we analyze a miority within a minority, adding the variable of the matenity: offender juvenile pregnant or mothers. This group, due to its exceptionality, deserves to be studied, to clarify its contexts, meaning and to improve our work with them. For this, we will show a journey from de current regulations to the social work, ending whith some conclusions from anthropology to show the main aspects about the ma(pa)ternity, the pregnant, the labour and the upbringing inside of a prison for juvenile offenders. An institution where the sentences have to be implemented and this social process change into a fundamental cultural variable to these group as a decontextualized a new social role. With this environmental context we analyze how these cultural categories have been reinterpreted, re-signified or they have new approaches with the main aim to know another speeches and practices in the maternity sociocultural process.

Abstract: El presente articulo pretende mostrar de forma panoramica la realidad de los menores de cero a tres anos que conviven con sus madres en el interior de los centros penitenciarios. A traves de una revision bibliografica se revelan aspectos legislativos, estructurales, educativos y otros referidos a las caracteristicas de las madres, los centros, las escuelas y las pautas de crianza y como afectan todos ellos al desarrollo de los menores. Las conclusiones de este trabajo manifiestan la falta de investigaciones en este campo y la urgente necesidad de las mismas, asi como el acuerdo consensuado por parte de la Administracion y de expertos en la materia como requisito ineludible para encontrar soluciones.

Abstract: The aim of this research is to analyze which factors can explain why some girls in foster group homes become adolescent mothers and others do not, exploring the contraception use, life and motherhood expectations and their family models. The study also analyzes how teen mothers in foster group homes experience motherhood and analyze the experience of becoming mothers in their lives while in care. A total of 36 girls from foster group homes (18 mothers and 18 non-mother girls) were interviewed. The results show that the need to fill their emotional emptiness, their lack of professional life expectations, their unrealistic expectations about parenthood and the role of their partner, and the undervalue of the conditions necessary to raise their children are the main factors involved. Most of the girls in the mother group were teen mothers who were sent to foster homes because of their premature motherhood. This shows that the educative work done by caseworkers can help girls to be more conscious about getting the suitable conditions before becoming mothers. The role of foster parents, social educators, social workers and mentoring programs with the purpose to empower mothers to prevent children neglect is discussed.