In one year between 2016-2017, 816 pregnancies ended while the mothers were in U.S. prisons and another 224 in jails. Our carceral facilities are not equipped for labor and delivery, and our medical facilities tend to see these mothers as inmates more than patients or parents.

SOURCES:

1. https://www.aafp.org/about/policies/all/incarceration.html

2. Promoting health care for pregnant women in prison: A review of international guidelines (2020) Alirezaei, S. & Roudsari, R. L.

3. “ACOG Committee Opinion Number 830: Reproductive Health Care for Incarcerated Pregnant, Postpartum, and Nonpregnant Individuals” (2021) The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Committee on Health Care for Underserved Women

4. https://www.amnestyusa.org/reports/usa-not-part-of-my-sentence-violations-of-the-human-rights-of-women-in-custody/

5. https://arrwip.org/projects/pregnancy-in-prison-statistics-pips-project/

6. Breastfeeding in incarcerated settings in the United States: A national survey of frequency and policies (2021) Asiodu, I., Beal, L., & Sufrin, C.

7. Imprisoning pregnant and parenting women: A focus on social justice, equal rights, and equality (2020). Cross, J.

8. https://www.businessinsider.com/50-of-countries-allow-children-to-live-with-their-mothers-in-prison-2018-3

9. Health care of pregnant women in U.S. state prisons (2012) Ferszt, G. G. & Clarke, J. G.

10. Equitable care for pregnant incarcerated women: Infant contact after birth—A human right (2020) Franco, C., Mowers, E., & Lewis, D. L.

11. Perinatal nurses’ experiences with and knowledge of the care of incarcerated women during pregnancy and the postpartum period (2019) Goshin, L. S., Sissoko, D. R. G., Neumann, G., et al.

12. Stigma and US nurses’ intentions to provide the standard of maternal care to incarcerated women, 2017 (2020) Goshin, L. S., Sissoko, G., Stringer, K. L., et al.

13. https://jaapl.org/content/early/2020/05/13/JAAPL.003924-20

14. Pregnancy and childbirth during incarceration: A qualitative systematic review of lived experiences (2022) Kirubarajan, A., Tsang, J., Dong, S., et al.

15. https://www.ncchc.org/position-statements/breastfeeding-in-correctional-settings-2018/

16. https://www.ncchc.org/position-statements/womens-health-care-in-correctional-settings-2020/

17. Jailcare: Finding the Safety Net for Women Behind Bars (2017) by Carolyn Sufrin

18. Pregnancy outcomes in US prisons, 2016-2017 (2019) Sufrin, C., Beal, L., Clarke, J., et al.

19. Pregnancy prevalence and outcomes in U.S. jails (2020) Sufrin, C., Jones, R. K., Mosher, W. D., et al.

20. Resistance Behind Bars: The Struggles of Incarcerated Women, 2nd Edition (2012) by Victoria Law