Behind Bars: Pregnant Inmates and the Challenges of Care Essay

For numerous years, prison officials applied the same type of treatment for men and women. In the last decade with the increasing number of women incarcerated, research shows that women have different physical and emotional needs. For example, women are more attached to their children that they are leaving behind, and some have histories of physical and mental abuse. The creation of two programs, Key Crest and Forever Free were created to help with women specific issues. Recent studies done by National Institute of Justice studies found that participants in these two programs stayed drug and arrest free for over three years. Participants were tested and interviewed once a year for three years. The studies also showed that the programs provided aftercare and treatment in areas that were not addressed in previous years. Even though both varied in their approach, they both recognized the many ways there were to treat the needs of women and how they differ from men. The studies also show that gender specific programs do help inmates reenter into society.

33% of mothers who get separated from their babies show signs of recidivism, as compared to the 9% of women who get to participate in prison nursery programs. ⬤ b. According to Regina Cardaci, RN, mothers in prison who aren’t allowed to spend time with their babies don’t develop the necessary parenting skills they need to take care of a child. ⬤ From an article published by The American Journal of Nursing,

Approximately 80% of incarcerated women are mothers (Mapson, 2013). On average, the adult female offender is between the ages of 25 and 29. Historically, incarcerated women live with their children prior to incarceration and are the sole financial support for those children. When a mother is incarcerated over 80% live with relatives (mostly maternal grandparents) and about 20% live in foster care. Due to mothers being placed far from populated centers, more than half of mothers will not see their children while they are imprisoned. Women rarely see their children due to the child being in foster care or with family members that do not have the financial resources to travel for visits.

In the past thirty years, the incarceration of women has risen exponentially. Poverty, lack of access to education, abuse, addiction, mental health and parenting issues all impact women’s criminality and health before, during and after they are incarcerated (Hannaher, K., 2007). By 2010 there were nearly 206,000 women currently serving time in the criminal justice system. As the years go by, the numbers are constantly increasing (Women Behind Bars, 2015). The number of pregnant women incarcerated has also been on the rise. Most incarcerated women do not receive proper prenatal care before entering the criminal justice system. Because these women are from mostly poverty neighborhoods, they are more likely to endure domestic violence, poor

In a country where there are more jails than colleges and a total incarceration population of 2.3 million and eighteen percent being female, it is no surprise that there are roughly 2,000 babies born to female inmates annually. At any given time, between eight and ten percent of the females incarcerated in the United States are pregnant. Currently, only ten states allow a mother to remain with her child after giving birth. For the other mothers, they are to give the baby to a reliable family member within 48 hours otherwise it will be placed in foster care. The current number of women in prison is at an all time high, and while the number for pregnant incarcerated females continues to grow, there is still limited medical treatment for mothers

Like many other Americans, I too am on the Orange is the New Black bandwagon, albeit a little late. While going through the episodes and without giving away any spoilers I began to have a lot of different thoughts about pregnant inmates, the experience of having a child while incarcerated and where said child ends up. This question ultimately led me to look into prison nurseries. There are currently only 9 states in the US that have a program that resemble a prison nursery, before the 1970’s most female prison facilities provided a form of nursery program for female inmates who gave birth while incarcerated. This topic brings about very strong emotions and firm ideals. A research paper published by William and Mary Law School titled, Jailing Black Babies, written by James G. Dwyer expresses concerns such as violating the infants 14th amendment and the lack of evidence of the benefits that prison nurseries have for the children. Kerstin Pagling notes the economical issues associated with mother and children prison programs. This essay will argue that prison nurseries are an essential human right because they allow for the essential mother-child bond to develop, as well as allow the mother to participate in her own rehabilitation for societal advancement.

Men and women in the United States prison system face an adversity of challenges in many aspects of their lives. One area where incarcerated individuals face a hardship is the access to healthcare they receive while they are imprisoned. Access to screenings, check-ups, medications, and treatment for diseases may be limited. Women are particularly vulnerable to inconsistent healthcare if they are pregnant while in prison. They may not receive all the necessary prenatal or postpartum care. This will have an impact on the mother’s health and the health of the newborn. Implementing complete nursing care for incarcerated pregnant women can ensure a safe and healthy outcome for the newborn and the mother.

Expecting mothers always dream of what motherhood is going to consist of, with the planning, and prepping. Some women though are unable to embrace that journey, due to being incarcerated. Women who are offenders of non-violent crimes are being given the chance of keeping their child behind prison walls. There is an opportunity in a select few prisons to help women keep their child with them, though it is controversial they are facing a sky rocketing issue of women coming to prison and being pregnant. Some feel as if they should be punished and should not keep their child in prison, that they are in prison for a reason. Others feel as if they can break the cycle of

4. In Pregnant in Prison- The Incarcerated Woman’s Experience: A Preliminary Descriptive Study, authors Lori Williams, and Sandy Schulte-Day wanted to explain; the experience of pregnant women behind bars, and their depression levels before and after birth. The study was conducted in the Valley State Prison for Women (VSPW) in Chowchilla, California. This is one of the biggest prisons in the word, and it houses approximately one hundred expecting women in any given month. The participants in this study were 120 inmates who had given birth recently. The elements of this study were classifies and identified by the obstetric clinic within the correctional institution. In addition, all elements were examine at the time of entree, and it was determined

Women are becoming a growing epidemic in the prison system even since the early nineteenth century. There has always been a lack of urgency and care for women that are pregnant behind bars. Women were still to do hard labor regardless of their certain circumstance. Pregnant women receive no consideration, lack of medical assistance, and are still in shackles are watched under by the prison guards while spending the little time that they have with their children after birth. There should be a change in the way the system treats pregnant women because they are not just hurting the mother but the child as well and they basically are the reason why most of the babies die because of the lack of care and medication. Although they have committed a crime pregnant women they should still have rights as parents. Such as not being shackled during childbirth which means they are still being punished in this joyous moment in their lives. Many if not all prisons are putting these women in shackles if not keeping them in handcuffs as they are in labor and delivering the baby which is completely unfair. Even if that were the case I’m sure they are guarded by at least three or four men. In California, state law formally provides that “at no time shall a woman who is in labor be shackled by the wrists, ankles, or both including during transport to a hospital, during delivery, and while in recovery after giving birth . . . .” (Ocen) These women are already experiencing pain and are not able to

In addition to shackling, following birth, most incarcerated women are allowed only 24 hours with their newborns which can be psychologically traumatizing (Ferszt, Palmer, & Mcgrane, 2018). In light of these potentially serious physical and mental health outcomes, Ferszt, Palmer, & Mcgrane recommend that a pregnant incarcerated woman should be restrained only under unusual circumstances, such as being a flight risk or attempting to harm herself, her fetus, or others. In these situations, the least restrictive measures should be taken and should not interfere with a woman's leg movement or the ability to break a

One of the heartbroken punishments of imprisoned mothers is the separation between them and their children. When mothers are incarcerated the question: “who’s going to raise my kid(s)?” becomes a concern (Kennedy 2012). Should mothers be allowed to have their infants in prison with them until they are 30 months old? Lately, with all of the women being incarcerated, there have been several states making programs like this known as jail nurseries. Jail nurseries permits women to nurture their offspring while in the correctional facility. Some states already have it where qualified mothers do have that option. This is a troublesome inquiry to answer given that, from one perspective, correctional facilities obviously don't give a proper domain

The Federal Bureau of Prisons, the National Commission on Correctional Health Care, the American Public Health Association, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the American Bar Association have all outlined minimal standards for pregnancy-related health care in correctional settings, and 34 states have established policies for prenatal care in the United States. Prenatal care for women in jail is shared between the medical staff in the prison and people in the data base. Depending on available resources at the prison, most of the time women have to be transported for prenatal care and delivery. Some states use shackles for security purposes during the transportation, labor, delivery, and postpartum care. Many women

"About seventy percent of women prisoners have children under the age of eighteen years, and sixty-four percent of all female inmates have been caring for their children prior to their incarcernation"(Gillespie 99). Leaving nearly two hundred fifty thousand children motherless. Studies have indicated that the relationship between an incarcerated mother and their child is dramatically affected (Gillespie 99). Often leaving a sense of insecurity with many incarcerated mothers desiring a relationship with their children. Programs which allow extended family visitation rights allow mothers to spend more time with their children. These programs permit the mother to be emotionally involved with their child's life. Reinforcing and maintaining the crucial

Throughout history women have been the primary caretakers of children. According to sociologist Parsons, women are natural caregivers and the ones who take care of the kids and are often more likely to be a single parent than a man (Cite source on this). Therefore this becomes a problem if women go to prison. With more women going to prison more children are going to be at loss of a primary caregiver, leading them to seek attention and affection in other places. Children are already at a disadvantage with one parent in prison, however having a mother in prison is more disadvantageous (Pollock, 2014, p. 27). According to Pollock, it has been reported that adult children of mothers who have ever been incarcerated are 2.5 times as likely to be incarcerated themselves, compared to the children who had fathers incarcerated (2012, P. 271). Children with mothers in prison are at a great risk of engaging in a criminal lifestyles, therefore the way that a woman mothers her child while incarcerated can greatly affect the lifestyle her child or children have in the