Pregnancy and Parenting Support for Incarcerated Women: Lessons Learned

Abstract

Background There are more than 200,000 incarcerated women in U.S. prisons and jails, and it is estimated that 6% to 10% are pregnant. Pregnant incarcerated women experience complex risks that can compromise their health and the health of their offspring. Objectives Identify lessons learned from a community–university pilot study of a prison-based pregnancy and parenting support program. Methods A community–university–corrections partnership was formed to provide education and support to pregnant incarcerated women through a prison-based pilot program. Evaluation data assessed women’s physical and mental health concerns and satisfaction with the program. Between October 2011 and December 2012, 48 women participated. Lessons Learned We learned that providing services for pregnant incarcerated women requires an effective partnership with the Department of Corrections, adaptations to traditional community-based participatory research (CBPR) approaches, and resources that support both direct service and ongoing evaluation. Conclusions Effective services for pregnant incarcerated women can be provided through a successful community– university–corrections partnership.

Reproductive justice for incarcerated mothers and advocacy for their infants and young children

“…While possibly outdated, these observations are generally consistent with our work with imprisoned women in Minnesota (Shlafer, Gerrity, & Duwe, ) and our understanding of the processes and policies in other states (for a review, see Goshin, Arditti, Dallaire, Shlafer, & Hollihan, ). Indeed, Kelsey et al.…”

“…Other innovative programs include supporting parents with telephone contact and exchanging personal photographs, letters, and audio recordings of story reading (e.g., Read to Me, Minneapolis, MN, https://www.hclib.org/about/outreach). The programs and policies for supporting child‐friendly visits vary from state to state (Shlafer, Loper, & Schillmoeller, ), but recent initiatives funded through the National Institute of Corrections () have begun to identify promising approaches to supporting healthy parent–child contact when parents are incarcerated.…”

“…Because there are fewer women in prison than men, states often have only one or two facilities that house women. As a result, women's prisons tend to be located substantially farther from their homes than are men's prisons (Eddy & Poehlmann, ; Shlafer, Loper, & Schillmoeller, ). These differences in correctional settings are important to keep in mind when considering the impact of incarceration on mothers and their children, particularly in light of a reproductive justice framework.…”

“…The quality of children's visits with their incarcerated parents is likely affected by institutional conditions (Shlafer, Loper, & Schillmoeller, ) that may vary from child‐friendly (e.g., developmentally appropriate toys and family activities) to highly stressful (e.g., strict rules about children's behavior, no physical contact such as hugging or hand‐holding). Research on the effects of visitation on child outcomes has been mixed, although to date, only one study has included systematically observed child behavior in the context of visits, and this work was conducted with fathers in jail (Poehlmann‐Tynan, Burnson, Runion, & Weymouth, ).…”

Prevalence of syphilis and HIV infection during pregnancy in incarcerated women and the incidence of congenital syphilis in births in prison in Brazil

“…Clinical guidelines focusing on pregnancy in incarcerated women are available and underline the specific needs of these women 38 . Recent studies have also reported and evaluated new strategies and organization of services 34,39,40,41 indicating new possibilities for action in prisons.…”