Many women are sentenced to custody in the early stages of pregnancy, perhaps even before they know they are pregnant themselves. Upon entrance, all are screened for pregnancy. They may spend part of their pregnancy pre-trial in the county jail. They also may spend time post-trial or post-plea in the county jail, though the jail is now supposed to expedite their transfer to the prison since a new law was passed in 2022.

A person may also be pregnant in prison because they were serving their sentence in the community on probation or parole, became pregnant, and then had their probation or parole revoked. This is known as a technical violation.

The majority of infants are temporarily placed with a custodian of the mothers' choosing.
In order for a family or friend to take care of the infant, a home safety check is conducted by DHR officials. Other mothers in custody choose to place their infants in a privately-funded, group home near the prison. Some babies are placed into foster care. There are no options for placing the baby with an adoptive family except through Alabama DHR.

We don't actually know. There is no law requiring jails and prisons to count or keep track of them. There are jails in every Alabama county.

At Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women, an average of 15-25 women give birth while incarcerated. An average of 30 pregnant people come into the prison each year, but some of those have short enough sentences that they are released before giving birth. A recent estimate puts the rate of pregnancy in Tutwiler around 1 to 2%.

We'd love to hear from you if you know someone that is currently pregnant and incarcerated in Alabama.

Yes, but there are now limits on how they may be restrained, searched, and isolated.

A new law was passed in 2022 that places restrictions on the restraint of someone who is pregnant in this state, no matter whose custody the person is in. This law applies to a custody officer with pardons and paroles, county law enforcment, city law enforcement, state law enforcement, immigrations officers, and corrections officers.

A pregnant and posptartum woman (up to 6 weeks after giving birth) may only be restrained using wrist cuffs in the front of her body or leg cuffs from the 2nd trimester forward, and ONLY if the officer deems her to be an immediate flight risk or risk of harm to herself or others. If this is the case, the officer must make a written justification within two days of the incident to his/her superior.

This law also forbids pregnant/postpartum people from being placed in a hospital room, another room, or cell by themselves unless for a written, justified medical reason.

This law forbids pregnant/postpartum people from being asked to perform a "squat and cough" (a search performed when someone is nude) unless there is reason to suspect contraband is present. If that is the case, the squat and cough must be ordered by medical personnel.

You can share these details with your local county jail administrator, sheriff, or elected official by downloading a 1-page fact sheet.

We are currently taking part in a multi-site study evaluating outcomes of pregnancy programming in prisons. You can read more about that research here.

Until recently, data from these types of prison programs were not systematically collected. You can read more about the success of our mentor program, the Minnesota Prison Doula Project, here. They have partnered with a University of Minnesota researcher, Dr. Rebecca Schlafer, to publish the impressive results of this work.

There are a handful of other programs around the country that have implemented these services, and you will find a recent review of the results of these interventions. You can also learn more at Illinois Birth Justice.

As many as 80% of women who give birth to babies in prison will reunite with their child within two years. Those toddlers, by being born to a mother in prison, have already experienced an adverse life event, even though the children themselves were not guilty of any crime. When their mother returns, she needs to be ready to handle parenting and must be able to bond with her child to reduce the risk of her child experiencing negative developmental outcomes. In addition to the health benefits that have been reported relative to doula support, including lower rates of NICU stays, lower rates of preterm birth, lower rates of low-birth-weight babies, lower risks for postpartum mood disorders, and lower medical costs associated with reduced cesarean rates, doulas help mothers learn about their bodies, learn about their birth options, and feel nurtured and cared for. This is the definition of trauma-informed care for a woman who has likely experienced significant trauma in her life. It also models a healthy mother/child relationship, because a doula's job is to "mother the mother." Many incarcerated birthing mothers have not experienced a healthy mother/child relationship in their lifetime. When the mother returns to her child in an emotionally healthy space, she is able to transform and improve her mothering skills and may be less likely to return to prison.

Fresh foods are hard to come by in prison food lines. Most foods come from cans and are laden with sodium. The variety of available foods is limited. To reduce risks of preterm birth and negative pregnancy outcomes, it is important for pregnant mothers to eat fruits and vegetables that are fresh and from all the colors of the rainbow to ensure their babies are getting adequate vitamins and nutrients for growth and development. The fetus requires Omega 3's, folic acid, iron, protein and calcium for proper growth. It is well documented that consistent prenatal care vastly improves birth outcomes. Good prenatal care results in term babies that are a healthy weight. The healthier the baby at birth, the fewer health care costs will be laid upon the taxpayer.

This is a good summary that can lead you to facts and figures elsewhere.