Perinatal Care for Incarcerated Patients

Abstract

More than 6 million men and 1 million women are under US correctional control, be it jail, prison, probation, or parole. On any given day, about 250,000 women and adolescent girls are behind bars, a number well in excess of those documented for all other sovereign nations. Moreover, women and girls represent the fastest-growing segment of the prison and jail populations. Approximately 75% of these women are mothers of minor children (leaving 200,000 children "motherless") and as many as 10,000 may be pregnant. Primarily designed for male offenders, the US correctional system is struggling to meet the specialized needs of its female inmates. Although incarceration during pregnancy is both stressful and dehumanizing, most studies paradoxically document better outcomes for pregnancies managed behind bars than for women of similar socioeconomic status whose pregnancies are managed in the community. Using the case of Ms A as a springboard for discussion, the issues, benefits, and challenges of caring for an incarcerated pregnant woman are addressed, as is the importance of family planning services to those about to be released.

A New Vulnerable Population? The Health of Female Partners of Men Recently Released from Prison

“…Given what is already known about the health of female prisoners (Clarke & Adashi, 2011; Fazel & Baillargeon, 2011) and possibly homogamy among individuals with prior incarceration experiences, it might be the case that all of the risk factors identified in Tables 1 and 2 are restricted solely to women with a history of incarceration themselves. If this is the case, having a male partner who had recently been released from prison would not be a distinct risk factor for poor health, as we speculate it is.…”

“…As imprisonment has become common in this population, researchers have developed an acute interest in understanding how incarceration and release influence health and mortality (Binswanger et al, 2007; Clarke & Adashi, 2011; Fazel & Baillargeon, 2011; Massoglia, 2008; Mumola, 2007; Patterson, 2010; Rosen et al, 2008, 2011; Schnittker & John, 2007; Spaulding et al, 2011; Wang et al, 2009). …”

A Heavy Burden: The Cardiovascular Health Consequences of Having a Family Member Incarcerated

“…8–15,44 It remains unclear why there was no association of family member incarceration with health for men. The loss of a family member because of incarceration occurs more frequently for women than men because of men's higher likelihood of incarceration.…”

Incarceration, Maternal Hardship, and Perinatal Health Behaviors

“…Women who are incarcerated have high rates of substance dependence, STIs, and other health problems that can complicate neonatal health (59-62). For this population, incarceration may constitute a period of relative stability and improved access to prenatal care that can improve birth outcomes (56, 63, 64), although one study found improvement only among white women (64). Although the dataset does not allow identification of whether the mother herself or her partner was incarcerated, it is safe to assume that in the vast majority of cases women are reporting on their husband/partner’s incarceration rather than their own.…”