Meeting the Needs of Mothers in Prison: An Investigation of North Carolina's Policies and Procedures and the Nurse's Role

Women make up a larger portion of the incarcerated population in North Carolina than ever before. Nearly two-thirds of women in prison are mothers. Unsurprisingly, the policies and procedures that govern the care of the general prison population are often insufficient to provide adequate care for the incarcerated mother. This paper explores the current policies and procedures that currently govern the care of incarcerated mothers and and makes recommendations to address deficiencies in these standards. Improvements in prenatal care, shackling policies, and family based treatment programs could all enhance health outcomes for incarcerated mothers. In addition, this paper identifies gaps in the data and recommends additional reporting requirements to augment the state’s ability to measure progress. Finally, this paper outlines the role of the registered nurse in caring for mothers while they are incarcerated and highlights the unique health needs of this vulnerable population.Bachelor of Scienc