“Per mio figlio è come al 41 bis”: il dramma dei bambini in carcere con le madri

“It's an oxymoron to say mothers and prison. There are children in here who are 3 or 5 years old. How do they grow? I'm outraged.” This is what Samuele Ciambriello said as he entered the Institute for Attenuated Custody for Mothers in Lauro, in the province of Avellino. A prison where mothers are held with their children. There are 11 mothers and 13 children in the Lauro Institute. “By law, imprisoned mothers can keep their children close until they are 8 years old; until a few years ago, the limit was 6,” Ciambriello explains. What's it like living in prison with a child? “Like prisoners,” says one of the mothers. “This is truly a prison, and the children are doing it, a 41 bis prison. And they suffer,” says another mother. “I don't know if my daughter will ever forgive me for where I brought her. I think about it every day. And it makes me feel bad.” All day long, the mothers torture themselves with these thoughts, watching their children suffer without being able to do anything. "Can motherhood continue to exist in prison?" Ciambriello continues. "How does a child grow up in prison? What kind of affection and relationships can they possibly have? It's true, they can go to school. But wouldn't it be better for them to have an alternative to prison? A woman shouldn't come to prison with her children. Last year, Parliament passed a law to release children from prison by creating foster homes. It received only six votes against. This year, it was blocked in the Senate."