Child Development in Penitentiary Centers: A Study of Children Living at the Vilma Curling Rivera Institutional Care Center in 2023

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22458/rr.v16i2.6776

Keywords:

Child development, prison, parenting, childhood, early childhood education

Abstract

Children growing up in prison environments may experience developmental risks, however, these can be mitigated by quality early care and affective bonding. The aim of this article was to examine the developmental characteristics of children living in the CAI Vilma Curling and their relationship with the maternal and educational care received. The research was quantitative with a non-experimental design. The sample included 20 participants. The results showed age-appropriate development among the children, associated with protective factors such as maternal responsiveness. However, limitations were identified in the availability of learning materials and stimulation experiences, demonstrating the need to improve the quality of care in prison contexts.

Author Biography

  • Mariana Torres Acuña, Distance State University

    Máster en Psicología. Tutora de la cátedra de Psicopedagogía de la Escuela de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades, de la Universidad Estatal a Distancia (Costa Rica)

References

Ahumada, Viviana, y Zuleima González. 2019. «Situación socioeducativa de la infancia residente en los centros penitenciarios en Colombia: Un estudio cualitativo desde la perspectiva profesional». Tesis de maestría, Universidad del Norte, Barranquilla. https://manglar.uninorte.edu.co/bitstream/handle/10584/8690/137343.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Alpern, Gerald. 2018. DP-3 Perfil de Desarrollo-3. Adaptación española de Fernando Sánchez. Madrid: TEA Ediciones.

Anikiej-Wiczenbach, Paulina, Maria Kaźmierczak, y Stanislaw Czerwiński. 2024. «Exploring the Key Drivers of Responsive Parenting in Mothers and Fathers: Observed and Self-Reported Responsiveness». Health Psychology Report 12(1): 39-52. https://doi.org/10.5114/hpr/181511

Bradley, Robert, y Bettye McDonald Caldwell. 1984. «The relation of infants' home environments to achievement test performance in first grade: A follow-up study». Child Development 55, n.º3: 803-809. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.1984.tb03817.x

Dreyfus, H. 2019. «La importancia del apego en el desarrollo del niño». Consensus 24(2): 183-194. doi:10.33539/consensus.2019.v24n2.2327

Di Lorio, Sam, Manuel Ortale, Maira Querejeta, Fabián Aníbal Quintero y Adriana Sanjurjo. 2019. «Growth and development of children living in incarceration environments of the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina». Revista Española de Sanidad Penitenciaria 21(3): 118-125. doi:4321/s1575-06202019000300002

Escobar-García, Bibiana y Alexander Hincapié-García. 2017.«Dar la palabra. En torno al lenguaje de los niños y las niñas en la cárcel». Revista Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales, Niñez y Juventud 15(1): 59-70. doi:10.11600/1692715x.1510226022016

Fritz, Stephanie, y Kevin Whiteacre. 2016.«Prison Nurseries: Experiencies of Incarcerated Women during Pregnancy». Journal of Offender Rehabilititation 55(1):1-20.

Gea Fernández, María José. 2017.«Maternidad en prisión. Situación de los hijos e hijas que acompañan a sus madres compartiendo condena». Revista de Sociología 102(2): 287-310. https://doi.org/10.5565/rev/papers.2339

Halton, Lucy, y Townhead, Laurel. 2020. «Hijos de padres encarcelados: Normas y directrices internacionales». Oficina Cuáquera ante las Naciones Unidas. https://quno.org/resources/Children-of-Prisoners.

Hernández, Andrés. 2022. «Maternidad desde el encierro: exploración de las condiciones espaciales y arquitectónicas del Módulo Materno Infantil del CAI Vilma Curling en Costa Rica». Anuario del Centro de Investigación y Estudios Políticos 13: 202-221. https://doi.org/10.15517/aciep.v0i13.48756.

Hernández Sampieri, Roberto, Carlos Fernández y María del Pilar Baptista. 2010. Metodología de la investigación. México: McGraw-Hill.

International Business Machines Corporation (IBM). 2024. «IBM SPSS Statistics». Consultado en noviembre de 2024. https://www.ibm.com/products/spss-statistics.

Jiménez, Jesús M. 2002. «Niños y madres en prisión: escenarios de desarrollo familiares y escolares en los centros penitenciaros españoles». Infancia y Aprendizaje 25(2): 183-194. https://doi.org/10.1174/021037002317417813

Kaźmierczak, Maria, Mieczysław Plopa, y Sylwiusz Retowski. 2007.«The Empathic Sensitivity Scale», Przegląd Psychologiczny 50: 9–24. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2007-17124-001

Kucharska, Małgorzata. 2021. «Selected Predictors of Maternal-Fetal Attachment in Pregnancies with Congenital Disorders, Other Complications, and in Healthy Pregnancies». Health Psychology Report 9: 193–206. https://doi.org/10.5114/hpr.2020.97295.

Lee, Rosalyn, Denise D'Angelo, Ada Dieke, y Kim Burley. 2022. «Recent Incarceration Exposure Among Parents of Live-Born Infants and Maternal and Child Health». Public Health Reports 138(2): 292-301. https://doi.org/10.1177/00333549221081808.

Korom, Marta, y Mary Dozier. 2021. «The Importance of Responsive Parenting for Vulnerable Infants». In Advances in Child Development and Behavior, edited by Jeffrey J. Lockman, 61:43-71. JAI. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.acdb.2021.03.001

Kutuk, Meryem, Ebru Altintas, Ali Evren Tufan, Gulen Guler, Betul Aslan, Nurgul Aytan, Nurgul y Ozgur Kutuk. 2018.«Developmental delays and psychiatric diagnoses are elevated in offspring staying in prisons with their mothers».Scientific Reports 8(1856): 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-20263-x

Ministerio de Justicia y Paz. «Anuario estadístico 2021». San José, Costa Rica, 2024. http://mjp.go.cr/Documento/Catalogo_DOCU/64.

Murray, Joseph, Catrien Bijleveld, David Farrington, y Rolf Loeber. 2014. «Effects of Parental Incarceration on Children: Cross-National Comparative Studies». Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

Pendleton, Virginia, Elizabeth Schmitgen, Laurel Davis, y Rebecca Shlafer. 2022.«Caregiving Arrangements and Caregiver Well-being When Infants Are Born to Mothers in Prison». Journal of Child and Family Studies 31: 1894–1907. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-021-02089-w.

Paynter, Martha y Erna Snelgrove-Clarke. 2019. «Breastfeeding in public for incarcerated women: The baby-friendly steps». International Breastfeeding Journal 14(16):2-8. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13006-019-0211-3.

Poehlmann, Julie, y Kristin Turney. 2021.«A Developmental Perspective on Children with Incarcerated Parents». Child Development Perspectives 15(1): 3–11.

Pineda, Enar. 2022. «Convictos colaterales: Una aproximación desde la perspectiva de Derechos Humanos a la condición en que viven y se desarrollan las personas menores de edad que viven en el Centro de atención integral Vilma Curling Rivera en Costa Rica». Tesis de maestría profesional en Derechos Humanos. Universidad Estatal a Distancia.

Sukhramani, Neelam, y Shivangi Gupta. 2020. «Children of incarcerated parents».Indian Pediatrics 57(3): 199-203.https://doi.org/10.1007/s13312-020-1748-3

Shlafer, Rebeca, Hardeman, Rachel y Carlson, Elizabeth. 2019.«Reproductive justice for incarcerated mothers and advocacy for their infants and young children». Infant Mental Health Journal 40(4): 725–741.https://doi.org/10.1002/imhj.21810.

Shlafer, Rebeca, Erica Gerrity, Chauntel Norris, Rachel Freeman-Cook, y Caroline Sufrin. 2022. Justice for incarcerated moms act of 2021: Reflections and recommendations. Women's Health 18:1-11.https://doi.org/10.1177/17455057221093037

Fondo de Naciones Unidad para la Infancia (UNICEF). 1989. «Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño» https://www.corteidh.or.cr/30cdn/cdn/2/.

Van Hout, Marie-Claire y Mhlanga-Gunda, Rosemary. 2019. «Mankind owes to the child the best that it has to give: Prison conditions and the health situation and rights of children incarcerated with their mothers in subsaharian African prisons». BMC International Health and Human Rights 19(13): 2-14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12914-019-0194-6

Van Hout, Marie-Claire, Ulla-Britt Klankwarth, Simon Fleitner y Heino Stover. 2023. «Children living in prison with a primary caregiver: a global mapping of age restrictions and duration of stay». The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health 7(11): 809-814. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-4642(23)00190-6

Published

2026-07-30

Issue

Section

Resultados de investigación

How to Cite

“Child Development in Penitentiary Centers: A Study of Children Living at the Vilma Curling Rivera Institutional Care Center in 2023”. 2026. Revista Rupturas 16 (2): 85-104. https://doi.org/10.22458/rr.v16i2.6776.