Examining the Barriers to Reproductive Justice for Incarcerated People

Presenter

Molly Roth

Campus

UMass Amherst

Sponsor

Toussaint Losier, Department of Afro-American Studies, UMass Amherst

Schedule

Session 3, 1:30 PM - 2:15 PM [Schedule by Time][Poster Grid for Time/Location]

Location

Poster Board A21, Campus Center Auditorium, Row 2 (A21-A40) [Poster Location Map]

Abstract

The 1980s witnessed the War on Drugs, where U.S. prison populations dramatically rose, disproportionately affecting people of color. Women, especially women of color, were particularly marginalized. Since the 1980s, the number of women in prisons has increased by 832%. Furthermore, Black women have been significantly impacted facing imprisonment at twice the rate of their white counterparts. Due to the generalized nature of prisons, reproductive healthcare needs often go unmet, resulting in extreme inadequacies that affect the well-being and overall health of women in prisons.   

 

Approximately 6% of women entering U.S. incarceration facilities are pregnant. This equates to about 13,000 pregnant inmates yearly. Pregnant inmates will face extremely hazardous conditions including heightened risks of violence, medical neglect, inadequate prenatal and post-natal care, and perinatal shackling. Furthermore, following the Dobbs case, abortions will cease to exist for incarcerated individuals housed in anti-abortion states—which will cause more women to endure incarcerated pregnancies. 

 

This thesis aims to investigate: the criminalization of pregnant individuals, the quality of reproductive care within carceral settings, and the impact of the Dobbs case on abortion access for incarcerated individuals. This thesis utilizes both academic research as well as ethnographic interviews (with formerly incarcerated individuals and experts working to reform access to adequate reproductive care in prisons) to provide insight into these topics. 

 

This thesis provides vital information about an under explored topic that affects thousands of women yearly. This research is dire as it offers insight into the cruel inadequacies plaguing incarcerated birthing people in the United States. 

Keywords

Mass incarceration, Prison reform, Reproductive justice , Reproductive healthcare, Racial justice

Research Area

Law and Legal Studies

SIMILAR ABSTRACTS (BY KEYWORD)

Research Area	Presenter	Title	Keywords
Public Health and Epidemiology	Sabnis, Nisha	Mobilizing Abortion Doula Services to Campuses	reproductive justice
Women's Studies	Laino, Amelia	The Intersectionality of Period Poverty and Incarceration	Incarceration
Globalization and Development	Gray-Mullen, Niamh	Impacts of Funding Sources for Nonprofit Organizations on Community-Driven Social Justice Initiatives	Social Justice
Law and Legal Studies	DiPietro, Jessica Marie	Creating Tools for Legal Literacy	Social Justice