Abstract
In the last five decades, the number of women behind bars in the United States has risen exponentially. It is now estimated that there are nearly 58,000 admissions of pregnant people—disproportionately women of color—to jails and prisons each year. Recognizing the urgency and consequences of mass incarceration on pregnant people, their families, and communities, House Resolution 948: Justice for Incarcerated Moms Act of 2021 was introduced to Congress as a part of the Black Maternal Health Momnibus. The Justice for Incarcerated Moms Act aims to improve health care and promote dignity for incarcerated pregnant and parenting people through an array of policies and oversight. In this article, we review and reflect on the components of this bill within their broader public health and reproductive justice contexts. We close with recommendations for policymakers and professionals committed to promoting equity and justice for pregnant and postpartum incarcerated people.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Journal | Women's Health |
| Volume | 18 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Apr 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The Minnesota Prison Doula Project has set a model for programs in states, including the Alabama Prison Birth Project. Alabama is leading the way in regards to lactation and incarceration. In its program at Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women, pregnant participants meet prenatally with a lactation counselor from the Alabama Prison Birth Project. Seventy percent of pregnant people choose to participate. Through the project, milk is expressed, stored, and shipped frozen to the infant. This is a relatively simple process with immeasurable benefits to parent and child, and significant financial savings for the caregiving family. Together, we’re just beginning to learn about the facilitators and barriers to these programs’ success and document participants’ outcomes through a five-year, multi-site study funded by the National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development. We have much to learn about the existing programs supporting pregnant and postpartum people in state prisons.
Funding Information:
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health under award number R01HD103634 (PI: R.J. Shlafer) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health under award number 5K23DA045934-02 (PI: C. Sufrin). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2022.
Keywords
- jail
- maternal health
- policy
- postpartum
- pregnant
- prison
