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Garcia-Alexander G, Thompson M. Judgment, shame, and coercion: the criminal legal system and reproductive autonomy. HEALTH & JUSTICE 2024; 12:6. [PMID: 38363420 PMCID: PMC10870550 DOI: 10.1186/s40352-024-00259-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A growing body of research has called attention to limitations to reproductive autonomy in both women who are socially disadvantaged and in those who have had contact with the criminal legal (CL) system. However, it is unclear whether CL system contact influences contraceptive use patterns and how these processes unfold. We utilize a mixed-methods approach to investigate whether history of arrest is associated with receipt of contraceptive counseling, use of long-term contraception, sterilization, and subsequent desire for reversal of sterilization. We further consider how agents in and around the CL system may influence women's reproductive decisions and outcomes (856 survey respondents; 10 interviewees). RESULTS We observe that women who have been arrested more commonly report receipt of contraceptive counseling and sterilization. They are also significantly more likely to want their sterilization reversed. Our in-depth interviews suggest that women with CL contact experience considerable shame, and in some cases, coercion to limit fertility from various agents in and outside the criminal legal system including medical providers, Parole/Probation Officers (POs), guards, and family members. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest the need for ongoing attention to how exposure to this system may promote uneven use of certain forms of contraception and dissatisfaction, i.e., desire for reversal of sterilization, among these women. Findings further suggest that de-emphasizing the CL system as a means through which to address reproductive needs should be considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ginny Garcia-Alexander
- Department of Sociology, University of Texas at San Antonio, One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, TX, 78249, USA.
| | - Melissa Thompson
- Department of Sociology, Portland State University, P.O. Box 751, Portland, OR, 97201, USA
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Mambro A, Afshar A, Leone F, Dussault C, Stoové M, Savulescu J, Rich JD, Rowan DH, Sheehan J, Kronfli N. Reimbursing incarcerated individuals for participation in research: A scoping review. THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DRUG POLICY 2024; 123:104283. [PMID: 38109837 DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2023.104283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2023] [Revised: 11/18/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/20/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Little is known about global practices regarding the provision of reimbursement for the participation of people who are incarcerated in research. To determine current practices related to the reimbursement of incarcerated populations for research, we aimed to describe international variations in practice across countries and carceral environments to help inform the development of more consistent and equitable practices. METHODS We conducted a scoping review by searching PubMed, Cochrane library, Medline, and Embase, and conducted a grey literature search for English- and French-language articles published until September 30, 2022. All studies evaluating any carceral-based research were included if recruitment of incarcerated participants occurred inside any non-juvenile carceral setting; we excluded studies if recruitment occurred exclusively following release. Where studies failed to indicate the presence or absence of reimbursement, we assumed none was provided. RESULTS A total of 4,328 unique articles were identified, 2,765 were eligible for full text review, and 426 were included. Of these, 295 (69%) did not offer reimbursement to incarcerated individuals. A minority (n = 13; 4%) included reasons explaining the absence of reimbursement, primarily government-level policies (n = 7). Among the 131 (31%) studies that provided reimbursement, the most common form was monetary compensation (n = 122; 93%); five studies (4%) offered possible reduced sentencing. Reimbursement ranged between $3-610 USD in total and 14 studies (11%) explained the reason behind the reimbursements, primarily researchers' discretion (n = 9). CONCLUSIONS The majority of research conducted to date in carceral settings globally has not reimbursed incarcerated participants. Increased transparency regarding reimbursement (or lack thereof) is needed as part of all carceral research and advocacy efforts are required to change policies prohibiting reimbursement of incarcerated individuals. Future work is needed to co-create international standards for the equitable reimbursement of incarcerated populations in research, incorporating the voices of people with lived and living experience of incarceration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Mambro
- Centre for Outcomes Research and Evaluation, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Avideh Afshar
- Centre for Outcomes Research and Evaluation, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Frederic Leone
- Centre for Outcomes Research and Evaluation, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Camille Dussault
- Centre for Outcomes Research and Evaluation, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Mark Stoové
- Burnet Institute, School of Public Health and Preventative Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Julian Savulescu
- Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom; Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Josiah D Rich
- Center for Health and Justice Transformation, The Miriam and Rhode Island Hospitals, Departments of Medicine and Epidemiology, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Daniel H Rowan
- Division of Infectious Disease, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | | | - Nadine Kronfli
- Centre for Outcomes Research and Evaluation, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease and Chronic Viral Illness Service, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
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Getting started in jail, prison, and legal system research. J Clin Transl Sci 2023; 6:e144. [PMID: 36756079 PMCID: PMC9879861 DOI: 10.1017/cts.2022.504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2022] [Revised: 10/30/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Extensive health inequities exist for persons with criminal-legal involvement in the USA. Researchers, both novice and experienced, are critical in documenting these inequities and implementing programs that address the many health and social problems of this population. However, working with currently or formerly incarcerated persons brings new challenges to researchers that may have not been previously considered as necessary. Because incarcerated persons were systemically exploited by biomedical researchers until reform following the Civil Rights Movement, resulting in their designation as a vulnerable population in the Code of Federal Regulations, enhanced protections are necessary in implementing contemporary research involving incarcerated persons. These enhanced protections can delay or prolong the regulatory approval process, particularly to the novice carceral system researcher, which may discourage some from engaging with this important population. Drawing on the many years of experience working with incarcerated persons accumulated by the Sexual Health Empowerment (S)HE Team at the University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC), this article offers some concrete steps toward getting started in this work.
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Liauw J, Jurgutis J, Nouvet E, Dineley B, Kearney H, Reaka N, Fitzpatrick-Lewis D, Peirson L, Kouyoumdjian F. Reproductive healthcare in prison: A qualitative study of women's experiences and perspectives in Ontario, Canada. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0251853. [PMID: 34003876 PMCID: PMC8130921 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0251853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2020] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To explore women's experiences and perspectives of reproductive healthcare in prison. METHODS We conducted a qualitative study using semi-structured focus groups in 2018 with women in a provincial prison in Ontario, Canada. We asked participants about their experiences and perspectives of pregnancy and contraception related to healthcare in prison. We used a combination of deductive and inductive content analysis to categorize data. A concept map was generated using a reproductive justice framework. RESULTS The data reflected three components of a reproductive justice framework: 1) women have limited access to healthcare in prison, 2) reproductive safety and dignity influence attitudes toward pregnancy and contraception, and 3) women in prison want better reproductive healthcare. Discrimination and stigma were commonly invoked throughout women's experiences in seeking reproductive healthcare. CONCLUSIONS Improving reproductive healthcare for women in prison is crucial to promoting reproductive justice in this population. Efforts to increase access to comprehensive, responsive, and timely reproductive healthcare should be informed by the needs and desires of women in prison and should actively seek to reduce their experience of discrimination and stigma in this context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Liauw
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Jessica Jurgutis
- Department of Indigenous Learning, Lakehead University, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Women’s Studies, Lakehead University, Ontario, Canada
| | - Elysée Nouvet
- School of Health Studies, University of Western Ontario, Ontario, Canada
| | - Brigid Dineley
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Hannah Kearney
- Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, McMaster University, Ontario, Canada
| | - Naomi Reaka
- Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Medicine, McMaster University, Ontario, Canada
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Hoff E, Adams ZM, Grimshaw A, Goddard-Eckrich DA, Dasgupta A, Sheth SS, Meyer JP. Reproductive Life Goals: A Systematic Review of Pregnancy Planning Intentions, Needs, and Interventions Among Women Involved in U.S. Criminal Justice Systems. J Womens Health (Larchmt) 2021; 30:412-428. [PMID: 32589492 PMCID: PMC7957381 DOI: 10.1089/jwh.2019.7951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Women involved in criminal justice systems (WICJ) are affected by multilevel biological and sociocultural factors that result in adverse health outcomes and health disparities. Criminal justice systems (CJS) must be appropriately resourced to address these issues. Materials and Methods: We developed a systematic review to understand the intentions and needs for pregnancy prevention and planning among WICJ to inform future reproductive health services. We conducted a systematic literature review of epidemiologic and interventional studies that addressed the pregnancy prevention and planning needs of U.S. WICJ (2000-2019). An initial screen identified 7061 articles and 3 independent reviewers determined that 28 articles (16 descriptive studies in adults, 7 descriptive studies in adolescents, and 5 interventional studies) met inclusion criteria. Results: The literature review identified high rates of contraception underutilization and negative attitudes toward pregnancy among WICJ in a wide variety of settings. WICJ described minimal access to reproductive health services, including evidence-based contraception, and experienced high rates of unplanned and undesired pregnancies. Results were interpreted in the context of the reproductive justice (RJ) framework. Conclusions: The CJS, although not designed to provide health care, should dedicate resources to address the multilevel barriers to care experienced by women. WICJ require targeted, gender-responsive, trauma-informed pregnancy prevention and planning interventions that acknowledge the history of reproductive coercion in this population and address key aspects of RJ, including the right to and to not have a child.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Hoff
- Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Zoe M. Adams
- Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Alyssa Grimshaw
- Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Dawn A. Goddard-Eckrich
- Social Intervention Group, Columbia University School of Social Work, New York, New York, USA
| | - Anindita Dasgupta
- Social Intervention Group, Columbia University School of Social Work, New York, New York, USA
| | - Sangini S. Sheth
- Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Jaimie P. Meyer
- Department of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, AIDS Program, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
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Williams A, Kajiwara K, Soon R, Salcedo J, Tschann M, Elia J, Pauker K, Kaneshiro B. Recommendations for Contraception: Examining the Role of Patients' Age and Race. HAWAI'I JOURNAL OF MEDICINE & PUBLIC HEALTH : A JOURNAL OF ASIA PACIFIC MEDICINE & PUBLIC HEALTH 2018; 77:7-13. [PMID: 29333335 PMCID: PMC5760309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The literature suggests that women of different races are more or less likely to use certain contraceptive methods and patient race can influence which contraceptive recommendations a provider makes. To explore whether health care providers treat individuals of different races differently, we conducted a preliminary investigation on whether medical students recommended different contraceptive methods for hypothetical patients presenting with the same clinical features who only varied by race. Third- and fourth-year medical students (n=103) at the University of Hawai'i completed an online survey. Students read case studies about a 23-year-old and 36-year-old patient and then made contraceptive recommendations. All students reviewed the same scenarios, with the exception of the patient's name which was randomly assigned to represent one of five racial/ethnic groups (White, Chinese, Filipina, Native Hawaiian, and Micronesian). Recommendations were analyzed using χ2 tests and bivariate logistic regressions. For the younger patient, students were most likely to recommend intrauterine devices (IUDs), followed by the contraceptive pill and Etonogestrel implant; recommendations did not differ by race/ethnicity (P = .91). For the older patient, students were most likely to recommend IUDs or sterilization, and Micronesian women were more likely to receive sterilization recommendations compared to White women (60% versus 27%, P = .04). In summary, contraceptive recommendations, specifically the frequency of recommending sterilization varied by race. Our findings add to the literature exploring the role of a patient's race/ethnicity on recommendations for contraception and highlights the need for more studies exploring the etiology of health care disparities.
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Ramaswamy M, Upadhyayula S, Chan KYC, Rhodes K, Leonardo A. Health priorities among women recently released from jail. Am J Health Behav 2015; 39:222-31. [PMID: 25564835 DOI: 10.5993/ajhb.39.2.9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To describe the health priorities of women recently released from jail. METHOD We open-coded semi-structured interview transcripts collected from 28 women within 6 months after their release from jail to identify themes associated with prioritization of health. RESULTS Five out of 28 women listed health as their top post-release priority. However, many women had competing priorities after release, including housing, employment, and children. We found that women described several reasons why health was not a priority; however, participants reported regular use of the healthcare system upon release from jail, indicating that health was important to them to some degree. CONCLUSIONS Our findings from may inform intervention efforts that connect women to healthcare resources and increase health-promoting behavior during the transition from jail to community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megha Ramaswamy
- Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Kansas School of Medicine, Kansas City, KS, USA.
| | | | | | - Kylie Rhodes
- University of Kansas School of Medicine, Kansas City, KS, USA
| | - April Leonardo
- University of Kansas School of Medicine, Kansas City, KS, USA
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Ramaswamy M, Chen HF, Cropsey KL, Clarke JG, Kelly PJ. Highly Effective Birth Control Use Before and After Women's Incarceration. J Womens Health (Larchmt) 2015; 24:530-9. [PMID: 25555175 DOI: 10.1089/jwh.2014.4942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND We examined factors associated with women's use of highly effective birth control before and after incarceration, since women with ongoing criminal justice involvement bear a disproportionate burden of sexual and reproductive health problems, including high rates of unintended pregnancy and inconsistent contraceptive use. METHODS Using a longitudinal study design, we conducted surveys with 102 women in an urban midwestern jail and then followed up with 66 of them 6 months after incarceration. We used stepwise logistic regression to assess individual, interpersonal, resource-based, organizational, and environmental factors associated with utilizing highly effective birth control. RESULTS Forty-two percent of women reported utilizing highly effective birth control (e.g., sterilization or other highly effective reversible methods) prior to incarceration, and 54% reported using these methods after release from jail (p<0.001). Ninety percent of women reported not wanting to get pregnant. Consistent use of birth control (p=0.001) and alcohol problems (p=0.027) were associated with utilization of highly effective birth control prior to incarceration. Previous pregnancies (p=0.012) were the only factor associated with utilization of highly effective birth control after release from jail. CONCLUSIONS Clinicians and public health practitioners can use findings from this study to develop clinical and intervention efforts aimed at improving unintended-pregnancy prevention among incarcerated women both during their confinement and during the tumultuous period after their release from jail.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megha Ramaswamy
- 1 Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Kansas School of Medicine , Kansas City, Kansas
| | - Hsiang-Feng Chen
- 2 Center for Research Methods and Data Analysis, University of Kansas , Lawrence, Kansas
| | - Karen L Cropsey
- 3 Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham , Birmingham, Alabama
| | - Jennifer G Clarke
- 4 Center for Primary Care and Prevention, Memorial Hospital/Brown Medical School , Pawtucket, Rhode Island
| | - Patricia J Kelly
- 5 School of Nursing, University of Missouri-Kansas City , Kansas City, Missouri
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