Criminalized Mothers, Criminalizing Mothering by Minaker Joanne;

Author:Minaker, Joanne;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Demeter Press
Published: 2015-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

9.

Pregnant, Incarcerated and Overlooked

Shedding Light on Pregnancy in

Juvenile Detention Centers

KERI K. O’NEAL AND WENDY K. WATSON

ALTHOUGH THOUSANDS of pregnant teenagers find themselves in correctional facilities each year in the United States, insufficient scholarly, policy, and criminal justice attention has been paid to this population. Diana Royal refers to pregnant incarcerated adolescents as “Detained, Pregnant and at Risk” and argues that “[t]he lack of research related to the health needs of female detainees shows an already marginalized population being subjected to further marginalization” (1). Pregnant adolescent detainees are, in Linda Acoca’s words,“dangerously invisible from a research perspective” (55). Since a significant number of teenagers find themselves in this very situation, questions then arise as to why they receive such little consideration in the literature. Is this specific to pregnant incarcerated teens? Does it point to broader concerns about girls and risk taking behaviours in general? In practical terms, if the body of work continues to be scant what are the consequences of relying on misperceptions about these girls, their choices, and their lives?

The psychological and social issues surrounding pregnancy during adolescence are complex. Pregnant youth frequently lack the resources to obtain quality prenatal care, which can lead to various complications during the pregnancy. The adolescent’s mental and emotional state and her surrounding support network (or lack of supports) can exacerbate her situation. Pregnant teenagers housed in correctional detention facilities are faced with unique challenges physically, emotionally, and socially, which are often overlooked in mainstream society and academic discourse. These institutions are frequently ill-equipped to offer adequate and appropriate prenatal and postnatal care. And given such environments, an adolescent’s ability to cope with the stressors of pregnancy is likely aggravated by the increased pressure of confinement. In their analysis of criminalized adult mothers, Ferraro and Moe reached the conclusion that parenthood behind bars was valued and devalued. Suzanne Allen, Chris Flaherty and Gretchen Ely claim that maternal incarceration is related to the criminalization of female poverty and call attention to the betrayal these mothers felt by a system that treated them as “throwaway moms” (160).

We argue that viewing the lack of attention to incarcerated pregnant adolescents and resource allocation through a feminist lens may help to shed light on why this population continues to be marginalized, overlooked, and underserved. A feminist understanding of pregnancy and childbirth underscores that healthy environments involve the pregnant individual having the right to make informed decisions regarding the birth and care of the newborn. The prohibitive and restrictive nature of the environment for those in correctional detention facilities challenges the assumption that mothers to be can or should be empowered. Further complicating matters is the juvenile status of adolescents in the United States, who may not have the same rights regarding health and freedom of choice as their adult counterparts.

To date, there has not been a comprehensive compilation of available research discussing this important topic. Nor has there been a concerted effort to make connections between research and practice to understand the issues facing pregnant incarcerated young women from a feminist theoretical perspective that recognizes diversity.

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