Motherhood Beyond Bars: An initiative among pregnant and postpartum incarcerated women in Georga

The intersection of incarceration and pregnancy is an increasingly pressing public health issue nationwide. In the United States today, 25% of imprisoned women are either pregnant or have given birth less than a year prior to their incarceration. Compared to the non-incarcerated population, incarcerated women tend to experience increased pregnancy risk factors such as substance and alcohol use, lack of social support and lack of access to education. Often these women do not receive comprehensive prenatal care prior to incarceration, which may lead to complications that are highly detrimental to mother and child.

Motherhood Beyond Bars is an initiative that provides education in health during pregnancy, childbirth, bonding, parenting, family planning, and transitioning from prison to the community for pregnant and postpartum incarcerated women. In order to address the issues mentioned above, Motherhood Beyond Bars created three programs: prenatal yoga, Mothering from the Start, and Healthy New Mothers. Mothering from the Start is a childbirth education intervention, while Healthy New Mothers is a postpartum health education and support intervention. Monitoring activities through pre-program and post-program surveys administered to program participants suggest a high level of participant satisfaction. Among participants who completed at least half of the Healthy New Mothers program, 100% reported being satisfied with the course. Similarly, 100% of participants in Mothering from the Start reported that the class sessions were helpful.

Correctional systems have a unique opportunity to improve not only the health of incarcerated women, but also their infants and, in turn, their families. By investing in the health and well-being of such vulnerable populations, states have the potential to improve their overall maternal and child health indicators.