International Society for the Study of Drug Policy (ISSDP) 2024

The war on drugs has negatively affected communities worldwide, with women bearing much of the burden. Chile is the country in Latin America with the highest proportion of women in prison and most of them are due to drug offenses. This presentation features the results of a qualitative study among foreign mothers’ prisoners in the northern border city of Arica, Chile. Participants -foreign mothers incarcerated for drug-related crimes- were invited to attend a face-to-face interview. The majority have an indigenous background and were the main financial support in the homes. The results confirmed that women have a low level of participation within criminal networks with absence of violence in the commission of their offenses. But, more importantly, it showed that prisons can have a severe impact on their personal and family life, especially when it separates a mother from children who depend on her and have low support networks. The latter is particularly devastating for foreigners, as they are separated from their children not only by prison bars, but also by the border, making it almost impossible for them to have any contact with them. Our research found that separation is the first detrimental aspect of female incarceration. They suffer the psychological burden of not fulfilling their caregiver function and the break of the maternal bond. From a gender and human rights perspective, these are extreme sanctions for people with low criminal profiles, born and raised under structural disadvantages, that most likely will affect the lives of the next generations.