Exclusive breastfeeding among people in prison: an intersectional and abolitionist approach to analyzing scientific production in Brazil from 2000 to 2022

Abstract

In Brazil, there has been an uncontrolled increase in incarceration of women, and this situation is not interrupted during periods of pregnancy or lactation. A scoping review was carried out to systematically map and synthesize evidence published since 2000 on the practice of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) among imprisoned people in Brazil. Intersectionality and penal abolitionism were the theoretical-methodological approaches used to analyze the studies. A total of 25 studies were selected, 90% of which were published from 2010 to 2020. In the context of maternal and child health, they mainly exposed the difficulties of maintaining EBF in prison, including the lack of definition of a minimum period of stay for the baby, the lack of professional guidance for the practice of EBF, and the inadequate structure of prison units. In the area of law, the studies reported tensions between the disciplinary order and children’s irreducible human right to food. The studies focused the investigation on the mothers’ experiences, but did not question the practical and historical forms of imprisonment, especially regarding Black, female, and poor bodies. Critical and propositional approaches are necessary to produce evidence toward the guarantee of rights to health and food.