From MacArthur Justice Center:
Pregnancy is hard–even with adequate healthcare, financial resources, and a robust support system of friends and family. Now imagine pregnancy in prison. Recent studies indicate that approximately 5-10% of women—meaning tens of thousands of women—are pregnant when they enter prisons. More than 2,000 babies are born to women who are incarcerated every year. People who are pregnant in prison require ample support to carry their pregnancies to term. Yet, pregnant prisoners don’t receive the care they need during one of the most vulnerable periods of their lives.
For example, one woman in Tennessee’s Montgomery County jail gave birth to her child alone in her cell. She asked for medical help for over an hour before giving birth. And her story is not unique. Jazmin Valentine gave birth in the Washington County Detention Center alone on the jail floor. She received no help from nurses or sheriff’s deputies while she was giving birth alone, screaming in her cell.
Incarcerated people are entirely reliant on correctional facilities to fulfill their basic human needs. Jails and prisons are responsible for providing food, shelter, and adequate healthcare. But stories like Jazmin’s and others like her demonstrate how often prisons and jails fail to provide pregnant people with the support they need. This has lasting effects on both the mother and the child born in prison, creating an intergenerational chain of trauma because of inadequate care. Continue reading >>>
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