Essay on the Effects of Incarceration on Pregnancy

Essay on the Effects of Incarceration on Pregnancy

Women of child-bearing age may face pregnancy and mothering in a correctional environment primarily designed for men. Seventy-six percent of incarcerated women are at a reproductive period of between 18 and 44 years, and about 3 to 4% of women are expectant during their admission to prison (Shlafer et al., 2017). By international standards, the rates of incarceration for women in the U.S. are very high. Pregnancy, delivery, lactation, and parenting require unique consideration during imprisonment. Taking care of incarcerated pregnant women has challenges where pregnancies are often unplanned and complicated due to prenatal care, substance abuse, maternal trauma, mental illness, poor nutrition, limited social support, and chronic medical conditions (Friedman, Kaempf, & Kauffman, 2020). It is difficult for the incarceration system to care for the needs of incarcerated women because prisons were initially designed for men. Challenges also arise during the transportation of pregnant women to and from medical facilities, access to obstetrical services, and coordinating with health care providers. Pregnant women do not control their prison environment, which has adverse effects on their dietary requirements, naps, medical administration, and sleeping times (Kelsey et al., 2017). Despite heterogeneous practices and policies for prenatal care for correctional settings, incarcerated women experience risk factors for poor pregnancy outcomes. Female offenders are at a greater risk of having premature delivery, low-birth-weight infants, and stillbirths. This essay focuses on a review of literature on the impact of incarceration on pregnancy, including access to prenatal care, nutritious diet, social support, and the use of restraints.

Lack of Access to Prenatal Care

Prenatal care is a recommended element for a healthy pregnancy by leading organizations like the World Health Organization and the American Academy of Paediatrics. Arising number of pregnant women have been advised to receive early and adequate prenatal care to reduce the adverse infant and maternal healthcare outcomes. Testa and Jackson (2020) conducted research showing that exposure to incarceration during pregnancy worsens parental care. The study examined the relationship between exposure to incarceration during pregnancy and the barriers to prenatal care in the U.S. Negative logistic and binomial regression models were utilized to determine the relationship between the imprisonment of a woman, i.e., incarceration that happened 12 months before the focal birth and various barriers to prenatal care (Testa & Jackson, 2020). Results showed that incarceration exposure elevated the barriers to prenatal care, including lack of transportation to health care appointments, communication with doctors, follow-up of abnormal tests, and the guardianship of the baby after delivery. The research demonstrates that an incarceration is a stressful event that significantly elevates hardships and negatively influences the health of both incarcerated people and their family members. Incarcerated pregnant women receive inadequate prenatal care, linked to various health problems, including preterm birth and low birth weight. Incarcerated pregnant women are part of the disadvantaged segments of the population that continue to face diminished access to prenatal care (Kelsey et al., 2017). Despite the standards for obstetric care that applies to patients, even those living in correctional facilities, the risks factors linked to incarceration and the operating systems in the prisons create unique challenges to the provision of routine obstetric care for the inmates.

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According to Daniel (2020), all U.S jails and prisons are provided with prenatal care under the Eight Amendment in the Constitution. Still, there are no federal standards detailed to ensure that women are receiving the care they require. The National Commission on Correctional Health Care produced a set of standards for the treatment of pregnant women in prison-like the proper medical examination as an element of prenatal care, limited use of restraints during pregnancy, and specialized care for pregnant women with problems of substance abuse (Daniel, 2020). However, states fail to make their Department of Corrections policies available public or write the guidelines to care for incarcerated pregnant women. Daniel (2020) tracked states that offered written policy health standards for providing the bare minimum for incarcerated pregnant women. The data indicated a widespread lack of protocols to care for pregnant women in state prisons. Sometimes the policies that exist on medical care for pregnant incarcerated women often lack the provision of basic medical needs. The majority of the state priso