Motherhood is a central axis of identity for women. Incarceration profoundly disrupts women's maternal roles, yet little is known about how incarcerated mothers in India experience and narrate motherhood. This study explores how incarcerated women in India narrate their maternal experiences while negotiating prison life. Based on thematic analysis of open-ended interviews with 30 incarcerated mothers in India, this study examined three questions: (1) What emotional experiences do incarcerated women report in relation to their role as mothers? (2) What concerns do they express about their children's well-being and future during imprisonment? and (3) How does incarceration affect the way women perceive and narrate their maternal identity? The findings reveal that guilt, sadness, and longing dominate women's emotional landscapes, rooted in separation from their children and uncertainty about their maternal capacities. Mothers frequently expressed anxiety about their children's treatment, safety, and future prospects, underscoring the persistent bond between maternal identity and caregiving despite physical absence. Incarceration also reshaped maternal identity, as women struggled with disrupted motherhood, fear of rejection by spouses, and the stigma of being simultaneously labelled "prisoner" and "mother."
An intersectional lens highlights how caste, class, poverty, and patriarchy compound this vulnerability amplifying both maternal distress and institutional neglect. Women from marginalized communities faced compounded vulnerabilities: economic precarity, social stigma, and institutional neglect amplified the harms of maternal incarceration. This study contributes to feminist criminology and psychology by foregrounding incarcerated women's voices in India, a context often overlooked in global prison research. It argues for gender-sensitive prison policies that safeguard maternal roles, provide psychological support, and address the intersecting inequalities shaping women's incarceration.