Motherhood of women deprived of freedom in Cuba: Sociological and legal reflections from a gender perspective in Cuba

Studies on maternity in prison reveal a special meritorious form of new social epistemologies that go beyond the legal approach and the prison environment. The article aims to assess the exercise of motherhood by women deprived of liberty from a sociological and legal perspective that allows its resizing towards an adequate gender approach and an effective protection of the best interests of the children, based on the practical experiences, institutional and public policies of the Cuban prison system. For these purposes, motherhood is defined from the biological and sociocultural dimensions, understood as a legal fact. Specific international protection is analyzed from the Mandela Rules and the Bangkok Rules. The Cuban context and the Spanish correlative are characterized, as both share the triple stigmatization of women and merit reflection on the social role of prisons in the treatment of incarcerated motherhood and childhood.