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Date: April 29, 2024 Mon
Time: 8:39 pm
Time: 8:39 pm
Results for pregnant inmates
6 results foundAuthor: Saar, Malika Saada Title: Mothers Behind Bars: A State-by-State Analysis of Federal Policies on Conditions of Confinement for Pregnant and Parenting Women and the Effect on Their Children Summary: There are now more women behind bars than at any other point in U.S. history. Women have borne a disproportionate burden of the war on drugs, resulting in a monumental increase of women who are facing incarceration for the first time, overwhelmingly for non-violent offenses. This rampant incarceration has a devastating impact on families. Most of these women, unseen and largely forgotten, are mothers. Unfortunately, pregnant women, incarcerated women and their children are subject to federal and state correctional policies that fail to recognize their distinct needs or honor their families. The Rebecca Project and the National Women’s Law Center collaborated on this Report Card, which analyzes federal and state policies on prenatal care, shackling, and alternative sentencing programs and grades states on whether their policies help or harm incarcerated women in these key areas. This effort is intended to help advocates assess their own state’s policies affecting these significant phases of pregnancy, labor and delivery, and parenting. The Report Card also provides an analysis of related federal laws and policies regarding conditions of confinement for women in federal prisons and immigration detention facilities. Additionally, it assesses how the federal government funds state programs that serve incarcerated pregnant or parenting women. For reasons discussed below in the federal findings section, the federal government does not receive a grade. Rather, the Report Card identifies areas where the federal government is making commendable gains in the humane treatment of incarcerated women who are pregnant or parenting and provides specific recommendations for areas that need improvement. Details: Washington, DC: National Women's Law Center and the Rebecca Project for Human Rights, 2010. 47p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 2, 2010 at: http://www.rebeccaproject.org/images/stories/files/mothersbehindbarsreport-2010.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: http://www.rebeccaproject.org/images/stories/files/mothersbehindbarsreport-2010.pdf Shelf Number: 120361 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFemale InmatesFemale OffendersPregnant Inmates |
Author: Albertson, Katherine Title: Tackling Health Inequalities Through Developing Evidence-based Policy and Practice with Childbearing Women in Prison: A Consultation Summary: The overall aim of this consultation was to scope and map the health needs and health care of childbearing women in prison, using the Yorkshire and Humberside region as a case study. In order to approach this we designed consultation exercises to: • Critically examine how prisons interact with health care agencies to meet the needs of childbearing women both inside and outside prison • Obtain the views of key stakeholders around improving practice and tackling barriers to equity of health care for childbearing women in prison • Identify existing good practice in this area • Produce an evidence base to inform future policy development and practice in this area • Use this local pilot work to inform the development of future research in this field This report contains key findings based on consultation data from the following sources: • A brief scoping review • Two Mother and Baby Unit (MBU) practitioner focus groups • Five MBU Manager interviews • Three activities undertaken by a web-based expert panel • A multidisciplinary final event Details: Sheffield, UK: The Hallam Centre for Community Justice, Sheffield Hallam University; York, UK: The Mother and Infant Research Unit, Department of Health Sciences, University of York, 2012. 54p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 8, 2012 at: http://yhhiec.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Microsoft-Word-Mothers-in-Prison-Consultation-report-2012.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://yhhiec.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Microsoft-Word-Mothers-in-Prison-Consultation-report-2012.pdf Shelf Number: 125937 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFemale InmatesFemale Prisoners (U.K.)Pregnant InmatesPrison Health ServicesPrison Nurseries |
Author: Schoeman, Marelize Title: The Influence of Imprisonment on Infants and Young Children Incarcerated with their Mothers Summary: Deprivation of liberty due to incarceration is a controversial and sensitive issue because of the impact it has on the perpetrators’ life as well as the lives of their family members. This controversy is the result of the conflict that exists between criminal law policy and the fundamental human rights of perpetrators of the law. Zermatten states that there are scarcely any situations where so many human rights are violated as during imprisonment. This becomes even more complicated and sensitive when pregnant women or mothers of infants and young children are incarcerated. Incarcerated mothers, in the absence of the necessary information regarding available placement options for their children, often feel compelled to keep their infants and young children with them in prison. Imprisoned women also quickly realise that they receive more privileges if their children remain with then during their incarceration. Opinions vary whether this is in the best interest of a young child. The most popular point of view is that imprisonment of a small dependant child with its mother has an adverse effect on the child’s survival, health, development as well as psychological and emotional well-being. According to research, this is mainly due to the negative environmental and social factors associated with a prison environment. In contrast with this opinion the importance of the formation of an emotional bond between a child and its primary caregiver, usually the mother, are emphasised. Findings from research indicate that a child could suffer devastating effects and emotional scaring if it is separated for an extended period of time during childhood from its caregiver. Limited research has been done in South Africa to explore the impact of a child’s imprisonment with its mother on such a child as well as the impact of forced separation between a mother and a child due to the mother’s incarceration. Details: South Africa: National Institute for the Care and Rehabilitation of Offenders (NICRO), 2009. 41p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 7, 2013 at: http://www.nicro.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Babies-behind-bars-summary.pdf Year: 2009 Country: South Africa URL: http://www.nicro.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Babies-behind-bars-summary.pdf Shelf Number: 127857 Keywords: Children of Prisoners (South Africa)Families of InmatesPregnant Inmates |
Author: Raeder, Lyrna Title: Pregnancy- and Child-Related Legal and Policy Issues Concerning Justice-Involved Women Summary: The potential for legal liability looms large for correctional administrators in prison, jail, probation, and parole settings. Although "litigation is always a possibility regardless of its ultimate likelihood of success, positive outcomes are more likely when legal issues have been anticipated and administrators can articulate appropriate reasons for the policy, practice or conduct in question." As the number of women under some form of correctional custody increases, administrators are tasked with establishing policies and practices around myriad issues that are unique to or occur with greater frequency with women in the correctional system. In 2003, the National Institute of Corrections published Gender Responsive Strategies: Research, Practice, and Guiding Principles for Women Offenders as the result of a multiyear project aimed at creating a foundation for administrators and practitioners to manage justice-involved women effectively. That document's appendix provided a legal overview of issues that affect women offenders, such as equal protection and access to facilities, programs, and services; staffing and supervision; sexual misconduct; due process challenges; and pregnancy- and child-related questions. This document-the first of a two-part series on legal issues affecting corrections with regard to justice-involved women-builds upon that appendix. It specifically focuses on reproductive health issues; pregnancy management, particularly with regard to obstetrics and gynecological health issues; pregnancy-related security considerations; visitation; the effect of parental incarceration on both the incarcerated mother and child; and how these issues must inform reentry planning. While many of these issues affect a small percentage of the overall corrections population, they may contribute to an increased outlay of resources, particularly with regard to reproductive, obstetrical, and gynecological issues. As with most correctional challenges, there is no one "right" way to deal with these types of issues. Because of changes in established practices and needed resources, corrections officials tasked with developing strategies to address these issues should collect data and analyze research from various sources and may look to case law and legal decisions for additional guidance. This document aims to assist administrators in developing policies and practices to address the issues common in female offender populations by providing the legal framework in which authorities made decisions and the contextual information around those decisions. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Corrections, 2013. 68p. Source: Internet Resource: NIC Accession No. 027701: Accessed January 27, 2014 at: http://static.nicic.gov/Library/027701.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://static.nicic.gov/Library/027701.pdf Shelf Number: 131806 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of InmatesFemale InmatesFemale OffendersPregnant Inmates |
Author: Stout, Jesse Title: No More Shackles: A report on the written policies of California's counties under the new law that limits the use of restraints on pregnant prisoners Summary: Legal Services for Prisoners with Children (LSPC) believes in the human dignity of people in prison and advocates for the rights of pregnant prisoners in California. Pregnant women in correctional facilities are more likely to experience miscarriage, preeclampsia, preterm birth, and low birth-weight than pregnant women who are not incarcerated. Restraints that interfere with the ability of a pregnant woman to maneuver increase the likelihood of these and other complications. In 2012, LSPC worked with author Assembly member Toni Atkins and supporters Nancy Skinner and Holly Mitchell to enact legislation that prohibits the most dangerous forms of restraint from being used on any incarcerated woman known to be pregnant (PC S 3407). LSPC has been working to enact and enforce bans on shackling pregnant prisoners since 2005. In March 2013, LSPC embarked on a project to determine whether all 58 California counties had written new policies on the shackling of pregnant prisoners to comply with the 2012 legislation. This report explains the new statute, describes our efforts to obtain documentation from the counties, outlines our findings, and makes recommendations for additional legislation, regulation, and research. Our findings address each county's policy as it is written; we are not able to report on the counties' practices. Details: San Francisco: Legal Services for Prisoners with Children, 2014. 28p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 7, 2014 at: http://www.prisonerswithchildren.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/NO-MORE-SHACKLES-report-LSPC-2.18.14-1.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://www.prisonerswithchildren.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/NO-MORE-SHACKLES-report-LSPC-2.18.14-1.pdf Shelf Number: 132039 Keywords: Female InmatesPregnant Inmates |
Author: O'Keeffe, Caroline Title: Enhancing Care for Childbearing Women and their Babies in Prison Summary: All available research suggests that the struggles of childbearing women in prison are extremely complex. And whilst their babies represent a relatively small proportion of all children affected by maternal imprisonment, they are arguably the neediest and most vulnerable group. This report documents the findings of a collaborative research project, funded by Barrow Cadbury Trust, between Action for Prisoners' and Offenders' Families (APOF) and the Hallam Centre for Community Justice (HCCJ) at Sheffield Hallam University. The project aimed to map current knowledge and research evidence on childbearing women in prison and their babies and to transfer this learning into policy and practice. All women who are pregnant or have a child below the age of eighteen months at the point of entering custody have the opportunity to apply for a place within designated living accommodation within a Mother and Baby Unit (MBU). However, in England, there is a high rate of rejection of MBU applications, MBU places are under-utilised and frequently lie empty across the women's estate. The research identified a range of factors which mitigated against an MBU application including: - women choosing to not reveal their status as mothers to the authorities and making their own 'informal' care arrangements; - women not expecting to receive a custodial sentence at court so are unprepared for making the necessary care arrangements, including MBU application; - women being traumatised when they arrive in prison creating a difficult context in which to absorb information about their child placement options; - the trauma of arrival in prison causing a mother's breast milk to dry up thus having a detrimental impact on the bond with their baby, and making it less likely that they will seek to keep their baby with them; - mothers feeling like they are 'choosing' their baby over their older children who may be living with relatives in the community, should they apply for an MBU place; - women being inadequately informed about the provision available in MBUs and the benefits of residing in one; - some social workers working within a 'pro-separation' model which focuses on finding alternative care for children rather than exploring fully the possibility of MBU placement; - mothers viewing themselves as incapable of effective parenting and their babies as being better off without them; - women may be under pressure from family members to leave their babies in the community. Details: Sheffield, UK: Sheffield Hallam University, Hallam Centre for Community Justice, 2015. 81p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 3, 2016 at: https://www.shu.ac.uk/research/hccj/sites/hccj/files/enhancing-care-childbearing-women-babies-prison.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://www.shu.ac.uk/research/hccj/sites/hccj/files/enhancing-care-childbearing-women-babies-prison.pdf Shelf Number: 137756 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFemale InmatesFemale Prisoners (U.K.)Pregnant InmatesPrison Health ServicesPrison Nurseries |