When home is in jail: child development in Spanish penitentiary units

The quality of the educational family context of children who live with their mothers in prison (N=127, age M=16.3 months) as well as how this situation affects their level of development are analysed. The assessment of these contexts was carried out using the HOME scale. The evaluation of the children's development was carried out using the Brunet–Lézine scale. The data shows that the quality of this context is extremely low, with one of the most striking features being the low score obtained in the subscales of provision of play materials and variety of experiences. Moreover, there are significant differences in the scores that are related to the mother's level of education, ethnic origins and the type of prison where they are serving their sentences. As for the scores obtained by the children in the Brunet–Lézine scale, the data shows that their level of development is similar to that of the infant population in general although we also found that the development quotients of the children in the group with the lowest scores in the HOME scale tend to drop significantly after 18 months of age. The results are discussed taking into account the interaction of context and development under the light of the canalization hypothesis, and making some suggestions about possible ways to improve these children's life conditions. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.