By Laura M. Maruschak

This statistical brief presents findings on maternal healthcare and pregnancy prevalence and outcomes for persons in the custody of state or federal correctional authorities in the United States. It reports statistics on (1) pregnancy testing and positive tests among female admissions; (2) pregnancy prevalence and outcomes by type; (3) pregnancy-related training for staff, emergency transportation protocols, and medical services provided to pregnant and postpartum women; (4) accommodations and support services for pregnant and postpartum women; and (5) provision of and participation in nursery or residential programs in which mothers reside with their children. Findings in this report are based on data from the maternal health supplement to the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ annual National Prisoner Statistics collection (NPS-MatHealth).1 The NPS-MatHealth was administered for the first time in 2024 and collected 2023 data on maternal health in correctional settings from the departments of corrections of the 50 states and the Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP). For information on the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Appropriations directive and the feasibility study that led to and informed the NPS-MatHealth, see Data on Maternal Health and Pregnancy Outcomes from Prisons and Jails: Results from a Feasibility Study (NCJ 307326, BJS, January 2024). Pregnancy testing and positive tests among female admissions „ In the 47 jurisdictions that reported pregnancy testing data, 88% of female admissions were tested for pregnancy during 2023 (table 1). „ Among female admissions tested in the 46 jurisdictions that reported the number of admissions who tested positive, 2% tested positive. Pregnancy prevalence in custody and outcomes of pregnancies by type „ On December 31, 2023, 49 jurisdictions reported housing a total of 328 pregnant women, accounting for 0.5% of all the women in the custody of those jurisdictions. „ Sixty percent of pregnant women in the custody of state and federal correctional authorities were white, 20% were black, 9% were Hispanic, 4% were American Indian or Alaska Native, and 2% were Asian, Native Hawaiian, or Other Pacific Islander (table 2). „ Between January 1, 2023 and December 31, 2023, 727 pregnancy outcomes—including live births, miscarriages, and abortions—were reported in 49 jurisdictions (table 3). „ Live births (665) accounted for 91% of the pregnancy outcomes reported, miscarriages (47) accounted for 6%, and abortions (15) accounted for 2%

Washington, DC: U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2025. 10p.

By Lauren Kuhli and Carolyn Sufrin

The majority of people incarcerated in U.S. women’s jails and prisons are younger than 45; most of them are parents, and some will be pregnant behind bars. The ways that institutions of incarceration manage their reproductive bodies rely on overlapping legal, cultural, social, historical, and racialized foundations that allow reproductive oppressions to flourish behind bars. Yet, as we argue in this article, these dynamics of incarcerated reproduction manifest far beyond prison and jail walls, through criminalizing and restrictive discourses that devalue the reproductive wellbeing of marginalized people. We analyze the legal, clinical, and socio-political dimensions of carceral control of reproduction and reproductive health care in U.S. prisons and jails, including abortion access, prenatal and postpartum care, childbirth, and parenting. We describe violations of constitutional and clinical standards of reproductive care behind bars, showing how these reproductive coercions are grounded in historical legacies of slavery and the ongoing reproductive control of black and other marginalized bodies. This article makes the case that understanding reproduction behind bars and its legacies of racialized reproductive oppressions reveals the carceral dynamics of reproduction that are foundational to U.S. society.

Harvard Law Review, v. 14, 2020, 50p.

By Evelyn F. McCoy, Azhar Gulaid

This study aimed to understand the state of reproductive health care access and quality in a jail in California after early stages of the implementation of Assembly Bill 732 (A.B. 732). A.B. 732 was passed in September 2020 with the goal of increasing reproductive health care access and quality for incarcerated people and pregnant incarcerated people in state prisons and county jails.

WHY THIS MATTERS

People in jail—especially women, nonbinary people, and transgender people—have specific and significant reproductive health needs. Most people in jail are in their peak reproductive years, have histories of physical and/or sexual violence, and enter jail with more significant reproductive health care needs than the general population. Incarcerated people are more likely than the general population to have STIs, human immunodeficiency virus, and viral hepatitis, as well as higher rates of cervical and breast cancer and irregular menstrual cycles. Unsanitary conditions in jail, coupled with limited access to reproductive health care, can worsen health outcomes for people in jail. Despite this, reproductive health and health care for incarcerated people, as well as policies implemented to improve these areas, are understudied and overlooked.

WHAT WE FOUND

Study participants experience significant delays between requesting services and delivery of services, and have even experienced nonresponsiveness after multiple medical requests.Study participants face significant challenges in the delivery and quality of care, including having medical staff who are inexperienced with basic medical procedures such as blood draws, having inconveniently timed procedures, and getting little to no follow-up or information after procedures.Study participants noted that they have experienced dismissiveness from medical staff, have needed to exaggerate requests as emergencies to receive care, and have even experienced mistreatment and punishment from staff.Most study participants shared that they have never received general information about reproductive health care or services and do not know what is available to them.Half of study participants shared that they do not feel comfortable or safe receiving services from jail medical staff. Discomfort comes from private medical information being discussed in jail common spaces and officers being present at medical appointments, including procedures that require undressing.Nearly a third of study participants have experienced bias or pressure from staff about reproductive decisions.Our study also identified findings in the following areas, as detailed in the report:preventive caremenstruation supportcontraceptive care and abortionpregnancy and postpartum carereentry preparation and parenting classes

HOW WE DID IT

We conducted semi-structured, individual, in-person interviews with 34 incarcerated people in a women’s jail in California to learn about their experiences accessing and receiving reproductive health care since A.B. 732 was passed.Washington, DC: Urban Institute, 2024. 83p.