Babies behind bars: Working with relational trauma with mothers and babies in prison

Imprisoned mothers who have care of their babies during their sentence stay in designated Mother Baby Units (MBUs). The units offer a paradoxical experience in having both holding and destabilising elements for the mothers and their babies. The care of staff, the predictability of provision and prison structures provide containment. Other experiences such as the admission to the prison, day-to-day procedures and emergency situations can be unsettling and frightening and have a destabilising effect on what is already a vulnerable and traumatised group (Baradon et al., 2008).