Pregnancies among incarcerated women are more common than some may initially believe, with around 58,000 pregnant women admitted to prisons and jails in the United States every year. Data about incarcerated pregnant women can help reveal what they experience during pregnancy and postpartum recovery, as well as the impact their circumstances may have on their babies.
A study from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine’s Advocacy and Research on Reproductive Wellness of Incarcerated People was completed using information from 2016-2017 and summarized pregnancies from every federal prison in the United States, as well as some state prisons and large jails. The data portray 57% of women in prison and 5% of women in jail, providing a picture of what pregnant incarcerated women experience. The study found that 11 prisons allowed for breastfeeding and/or pumping, while five jails allowed breastfeeding and/or pumping. Of the 272 babies born, 186 were given to a designated family member for care, while the placement of 183 infants was unknown. Twenty-one babies were placed in the prison or jail nursery, 15 were given up for adoption, 29 were placed in foster care and 21 were given to a caregiver who was not a family member.
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