Stop jailing pregnant women to prevent tragedies, research says

Better justice for pregnant women

The book is the first to examine pregnancy and new motherhood in UK prisons and has been written following the high-profile deaths of two babies after their mothers gave birth in UK prisons.

Dr Baldwin and her co-author Dr Laura Abbott from the University of Hertfordshire are calling for imprisonment of pregnant women to be a last resort.

Instead, the duo argues there are opportunities for prisons, social workers and magistrates to work together to provide better justice for pregnant women.

They believe this starts with all agencies having a clearer understanding of what it is like to be pregnant in prison.

Both authors have hands-on experience in the field, Baldwin as a qualified social worker and probation officer and Abbott as a midwife (Abbott).   

Recommendations for UK prisons

Their book, which includes first-hand accounts from women with experience of pregnancy in prison, puts forward a number of recommendations for how pregnancy can be better managed in prison, including;

• Dedicated prison space/wing for pregnant women with enhanced support and training;
• Changes to sentencing guidelines, avoiding maternal imprisonment if at all possible;
• Increased funding for community-based alternatives to prison;
• Better training for social workers, probation officers, midwives and prison staff on the experience of pregnancy in prison and the alternatives, including Mother and Baby Units.
• Work to increase positive outcomes for applications for mothers to be housed in Mother and Baby Units and;
• Inclusion of midwifery and pregnancy care in prison inspection criteria.

Prison trials

Their recommendations draw on their own extensive research and trials Dr Baldwin has developed with Sodexo, operators of His Majesty’s Prison Peterborough, which involved the establishment of a dedicated pregnancy wing, and enhanced staff training and prisoner support.

Dr Baldwin also worked with Sodexo to progress the facilitation of women prisoners to give birth on release on temporary license – something the authors would like to see rolled out across all female prisons.

Find out more:

• Find out more about Dr Lucy Baldwin.
• Read more about the research by Dr Baldwin and Dr Abbott is published in the book Pregnancy and New Motherhood in Prison, Policy Press.

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