Chair Farías outlines maternal health crisis and racial disparities
Farías says women are the fastest-growing incarcerated group, three in four are childbearing age, and incarcerated pregnant people face barriers like inconsistent prenatal care and shackling. She notes Black and low-income women are disproportionately affected.
The intersection of maternal health and the criminal justice system represents a critical public health and human rights crisis in the United States, where women are the fastest growing segment of the incarcerated population.
National data shows that among incarcerated women, three out of four are of childbearing age.
Incarcerated pregnant individuals face severe systemic barriers, including inconsistent prenatal care, high rates of untreated substance use and mental health conditions, and the use of shackling during labor and delivery.
Whether an incarcerated pregnant person decides to carry their pregnancy to term or have an abortion, they have a constitutionally protected right to obtain appropriate medical care.
It's important to note that mass incarceration and the maternal mortality crisis disproportionately impact black and low-income women.
Communities of color are disproportionately represented in New York City jail admissions, making up almost 90% of admissions, despite only compromising 52% of the city's general population.
When compounded with the fact that black women overall are three times more likely
than white women to die because they were pregnant and three times more likely to suffer severe complications like fibroids, the added risks for black pregnant people of being incarcerated during pregnancy are high.