How to Improve Prenatal Care in Prisons

As understanding of health advances, the importance of prenatal care becomes clearer. Prenatal care can improve maternal and infant mortality and have a long-lasting impact on the infant. There are some populations of women that do not receive the necessary prenatal care, like women in prison. Women in prison are often not provided the prenatal care that is necessary to improve birth outcomes. The birth outcomes in prison to those in the general population such as infant mortality, maternal mortality, low birth weight, preterm delivery, etc. reveal the need for an in-depth look at the prenatal care provided to these populations. The prenatal care available to each population is very different could be a clear cause of some of the differences in these outcomes. Research about what prenatal care is required to improve birth outcomes will also be introduced. Women in prison are more likely to have substance abuse and mental health issues that can negatively affect their pregnancy so they are in increased need of these services as well as specific services to address these problems. This paper will then suggest changes that must be made to prenatal care in prisons. Pregnant women in prison should not be a forgotten population, they deserve the best prenatal care that can be provided so this paper highlights the areas in the prison\u27s healthcare system that need to change