Corrections officers’ knowledge and perspectives of maternal and child health policies and programs for pregnant women in prison

Abstract

Background: In response to the dramatic increase in the number of women incarcerated in the United Statesand a growing awareness that a small proportion of women enter prison pregnant and have unique health needs-some prisons have implemented policies and programs to support pregnant women (defined here as maternal and child health [MCH] policies and programs). Corrections officers (COs) are key stakeholders in the successful implementation of prison policies and programs. Yet, little empirical research has examined prison COs' knowledge and perspectives of MCH policies and programs, particularly the impact such policies and programs have on COs' primary job responsibility of maintaining safety and security. The objective of this mixed-methods study was to understand COs' knowledge and perspectives of MCH policies and programs in one state prison, with a specific emphasis on the prison's pregnancy and birth support (doula) program. Results: Thirty-eight COs at a single large, Midwestern women's prison completed an online survey, and eight of these COs participated in an individual, in-person qualitative interview. Results indicated that COs' perspectives on MCH policies and programs were generally positive. Most COs strongly approved of the prison's doula program and the practice of not restraining pregnant women. COs reported that MCH policies and programs did not interfere, and in some cases helped, with their primary job task of maintaining safety and security. Conclusions: Findings support expansion of MCH programs and policies in prisons, while underscoring the need to offer more CO training and to gather more CO input during program development and implementation. MCH services that provide support to pregnant women that are outside the scope of COs' roles may help reduce CO job demands, improve facility safety, and promote maternal and child health.

Healthcare beliefs, health information seeking, and healthcare setting preferences among women who inject drugs by community supervision status

“…Previous programs that have been implemented to increase outpatient and primary care use among individuals recently released from incarceration have included integrated and specialized primary care services for justice-involved individuals (Howell et al, 2021 ; Morse et al, 2017 ; Wang et al, 2019 ), patient navigation (e.g., Binswanger, Whitley, Haffey, Mueller, & Min, 2015 ; O’Connell, Visher, & Becker, 2020 ), and systems change interventions (O’Connell et al, 2020 ). In a study of women released from incarceration who were referred by community health workers to Transitions Clinic Network, a specialized integrated primary care clinic for justice-involved individuals, about one half of participants were successfully linked to primary care (Morse et al, 2017 ).…”

“…In a recent trial, patient navigation was associated with a significantly greater percentage of individuals on probation receiving referrals and linkage to primary care compared to control group participants who only received informational booklets (O’Connell et al, 2020 ). Notably, this pilot by O’Connell et al ( 2020 ) concurrently used a system change intervention which used local change teams to more effectively facilitate linkage to primary care through intersectoral collaborations (e.g., community corrections agencies and officers, clients, and healthcare providers), an approach that has been used to connect justice-involved individuals with HIV testing (Belenko et al, 2017 ) and substance use disorder treatment (Elkington, Lee, Brooks, Watkins, & Wasserman, 2020 ; Howell et al, 2021 ; Martin et al, 2021 ; McCarty et al, 2007 ). Support for these approaches is encouraging (Belenko et al, 2017 ), but several of these studies are still ongoing (e.g., Howell et al, 2021 ; Martin et al, 2021 ).…”

Women's Imprisonment in Britain and Ireland

“…Current issues in the literature on women in prison include: the gendered pains of (life) imprisonment (Crewe et al, 2017); support for women leaving prison, including peer support (McLeod et al, 2020); policies and programs for pregnant women in prison (Pendleton et al, 2020); imprisoned women's histories of domestic violence and legacies of associated traumas, and, in some cases, their subsequent offending behaviors (McMillan et al, 2021, see also Bettinson in this special issue); the impact of poverty, marginalization, and inadequate resources/supports in women's lives; women's experience of prison as a temporary refuge, (Bucerius, Haggerty, and Dunford, 2021); and the need for trauma-informed care in women's prisons (Jewkes et al, 2019).…”

Legal relations in the field of human reproductive activity

“…закладів планування сім'ї, якщо вони схилятимуть жінку до аборту [35]. Федеральна реформа у галузі охорони здоров'я загалом приділяє незначну увагу можливості реалізації репродуктивних прав [36], і лише в окремих випадках запроваджувалася політика та програми для підтримки вагітних [37].…”