Ethnographic assessment of an alternative to incarceration for women with minor children

A qualitative case study of pregnancy and early parenting in Canada's federal prisons for women

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to understand the experiences of pregnant people and new parents in Canadian federal prisons for women, and to better understand their ability to participate in the institutional Mother Child Program.

METHODS

This qualitative case study used semi-structured interviews with people who experienced federal incarceration during pregnancy or the early parenting years.

FINDINGS

Major themes in the analysis include: 1) Reasons why- and why not- to participate in the Mother Child Program; 2) Mothering from inside; 3) Health care; and 4) Strategies and survival.

KEY CONCLUSIONS

Mothers describe multiple reasons for choosing not to participate or being ineligible for the Mother Child Program; separation as common and traumatic; health services as inadequate; and mental health concerns being met with punishment. Alternatives to incarceration are recommended.

O cuidado à criança no contexto prisional: percepções dos profissionais de saúde

RESUMO Trata-se de um estudo qualitativo, com abordagem etnográfica realizado com 15 profissionais de saúde do sistema prisional, por meio de entrevistas semi-estruturadas, organizadas e tratadas pelo software Nvivo 12, e efetuada análise de conteúdo na modalidade análise temática. A pesquisa relevou três categorias temáticas: ‘Os cuidados cotidianos à criança na prisão’; ‘Os cuidados de manutenção nas intercorrências infantis’; e ‘Os desafios para prestação dos cuidados à criança no cárcere’. Na prisão, portanto, o cuidado à criança se torna um desafio para o profissional de saúde, devido à falta de estrutura física, à escassez de insumos materiais, ambiente de violência e à tensão que influenciam na prestação do cuidado integral à criança que vive no contexto do cárcere materno. Por isso, faz-se necessária a implementação da Política Nacional de Atenção à Saúde da Criança no Sistema Único de Saúde com desenvolvimento de ações que favoreçam a melhoria do cuidado à criança em consonância com a Política Nacional de Atenção Integral à Saúde das Pessoas Privadas de Liberdade no Sistema Prisional.

Feminist Abolitionist Nursing

The converging crises of COVID-19 and racist state violence in 2020 shifted public discourse about marginalization, public health, and racism in unprecedented ways. Nursing responded to the pandemic with heroic commitment and new politicization. But public engagement with systemic racism is forcing a reckoning in nursing. The profession has its own history of racism and of alliance with systems of state control with which to contend. In this article, we argue nursing must adopt an ethics of abolitionism to realize its goals for health and justice. Abolitionism theorizes that policing and prison systems, originating from systems of enslavement and colonial rule, continue to function as originally intended, causing racial oppression and violence. The harms of these systems will not be resolved through their reform but through creation of entirely new approaches to community support. Nursing as a collective can contribute to abolitionist projects through advocacy, practice, and research.

Reproductive justice for incarcerated mothers and advocacy for their infants and young children

The United States has seen unprecedented growth in the number of incarcerated women, most of whom are mothers with minor children. Major public health concerns relate to the reproductive health of women in prisons and jails and the well-being of their infants and young children. In the current article, we use a reproductive justice framework to examine the intersection of incarceration and maternal and child health. We review (a) current research on the reproductive health of incarcerated women, (b) characteristics and experiences of pregnant incarcerated women, (c) outcomes of infants and young children with incarcerated parents, (d) implications of research findings for policy and practice, and (e) the need for increased research, public education, and advocacy. We strongly recommend that correctional policies and practices be updated to address the common misconceptions and biases as well as the unique vulnerabilities and health needs of incarcerated women and their young children.