JIWC Newsletter

Recent Research:

Community Relationships and Successful Reentry Outcomes for Rural Women
A recent study by Tillson and colleagues examined “the impact of community relationships—a woman’s sense of empowerment or engagement relative to her community context” on rural women’s experiences with reentry following incarceration. The researchers' findings indicate that “community connectedness” may allow for more successful reentry for formerly incarcerated rural women.

Jail Personnel's Approach to Pregnancy Care in Southeastern Jails
In their exploratory qualitative study, Knittel and colleagues examined jail personnel’s approach to perinatal care in five southern states—Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and West Virginia. Researchers found a “strong focus on fetal safety rather than either an emphasis on the parental-fetal dyad or on parental/maternal well-being” and a “tension between the punitive goal of incarceration and the reality of jails as a health care safety net within the constraints of jail facility budgets and other resources.” The authors highlight the need for “community safety nets” in order to reduce rates of incarceration and to improve pregnancy related outcomes.

Legal Debts and Increased Rates of Incarcerated Women
Using data from Washington state, O’Neil and colleagues found a positive association between county dependence on monetary sanctions and higher rates of women’s incarceration. The authors theorize that “women’s economic precarity” can help to explain this association. O’Neil explains, “Not only are women going to find financial sentences more burdensome than men, they are also more likely to commit the types of crime that make them eligible for monetary sanctions instead of incarceration.”

Medical Abolition and Reproductive Justice
In their essay, “Alignment of Abolition Medicine With Reproductive Justice,” Hayes and Gomez argue that incarceration promotes both reproductive and racial violence. They write, “Abolition medicine and reproductive justice push medical and carceral systems towards a focus on the structural factors that impede safe and dignified parenting and childrearing, bodily autonomy, and sexual and reproductive health.” They conclude by imagining medical systems that are racially and reproductively just.

Medication Assisted Treatment for Incarcerated Pregnant People
In their cross-sectional study, Sufrin and colleagues found that few US jails initiate medication treatment plans during a person’s pregnancy, and most discontinued medication during postpartum. 60% of jails continued to provide medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) to pregnant people who were taking medication before their time in jail. The authors assert that incarcerated pregnant and postpartum people are deserving of the standard of care for opioid use disorder, and identify this as an important area for public health intervention.

Qualitative Study on Healthcare Experiences Amongst Incarcerated Women in Arkansas
In a recent study, researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with formerly incarcerated women in Arkansas to explore their experiences with healthcare while in prison. Participants’ responses emphasized a need for more specialized, compassionate, and gender-responsive care in carceral settings.

Using a Gendered Lens for Restorative Justice
In their article, Brewer and Caldwell call for increased attention to gender in restorative justice approaches. They focus on the unique vulnerabilities girls of color face in the criminal justice system, and outline proposals for “Girls Courts” to better protect and expand girls’ opportunities outside of punitive carceral systems.