How can a mother care for her baby with sensitivity and emotional attunement - within the walls of a prison? This presentation offers a compelling look into the overlooked reality of incarcerated mothers and their efforts to nurture their children under the weight of confinement. Drawing on insights from developmental psychology and correctional studies, the session explores how the concept of “sensitive caregiving” unfolds in environments that are rarely designed with children - or parenting - in mind.
We will take participants on a journey through the early developmental needs of children and the central role of mothers in supporting these needs. But this journey also passes through the lived realities of incarceration: institutional restrictions, emotional strain, lack of resources, and disrupted attachment. Through this lens, we will consider not only the challenges but also the possibilities: How can prison systems better support mothers to provide responsive, nurturing care? What programs exist - and what models are emerging - that create space for real human connection between mother and child, even behind bars? With real-world examples, research insights, and policy implications, this presentation invites us to rethink caregiving as a core part of correctional justice - not a luxury, but a necessity.
The presentation will also discuss the institutional model developed within the scope of the “Annemleyim Project”, which is one of the important steps taken in this field in Turkiye and carried out with the support of the European Union. This model aims to provide a sensitive and development-supportive environment for children staying with their mothers in penal institutions.
Moderated by Raphael Hamunyela, Commissioner General, Namibian Correctional Service, Namibia
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Prof. Müdriye Yıldız BIÇAKÇI
Professor, Ankara University, Türkiye
Prof. Dr. Müdriye Yıldız Bıçakçı is a leading scholar in the field of early childhood education and child development in Türkiye. With over two decades of academic experience, her work focuses on the social-emotional development of children, parent-child interaction, and the role of early intervention in at-risk populations. She has conducted extensive research on parental sensitivity, attachment, and caregiving practices in diverse and challenging contexts, including institutional and correctional settings.
She is particularly known for her commitment to bridging research and practice, working closely with practitioners, educators, and policymakers to improve the quality of early childhood services. Her recent work explores how sensitive caregiving can be adapted and supported in environments such as prisons, where mothers and children face exceptional developmental and psychological vulnerabilities. As a professor at Ankara University, she has mentored numerous graduate students and contributed to national and international projects that center children’s rights and family well-being. Prof. Yıldız Bıçakçı brings to her presentations both scientific depth and a strong sense of social responsibility, making her sessions both insightful and deeply human-centered. Within the scope of the "Technical Support for Developing of an Institutional Model for Children Staying with Their Mothers in Penal Institutions Project" which was carried out in cooperation with the European Union and the Ministry of Justice, she served as a team leader and took part in the team that developed the applied model.
