Incarceration involves the imprisonment of someone after being found guilty of committing a worth offense sentencing. With no uniform national policy for pregnancy care in our correctional facilities, incarcerated women have varying experiences of the problems they face in these correctional facilities. Various factors come into play in affecting the development of an unborn child; such elements may result from the mother's mental, physical, and emotional health. But these are not the only factors that affect the nurturing of an unborn child from its time in the womb to its delivery. This essay will look to address the significant problems pregnant women face in prisons. Furthermore, the paper will outline some of the significant problems these women undergo as they serve their sentences, such as abuse, neglect and inadequate nutrition. The paper will finalize by stating some of the recommendations to address the problems these women face in prison.
Abuse is a significant problem reported by many incarcerated pregnant women in most state and federal prisons. Many pregnant prisoners have attested to the cruel treatment they have received from most nurses and correctional officers assigned to care for them. Others have also confirmed receiving harsh treatment where they are shackled or handcuffed despite the existence of a law that bans the shackling of pregnant inmates (Daniel, 2019) . In one instance, a daily news report on Milwaukee county jail showed that over thirty pregnant incarcerated women at the prison were forced to give birth while in shackles (Silverstein, 2017) .
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This report recorded that among the women who delivered while in shackles, most of them reported experiencing physical pain and suffering while enduring labor in chains; these horrific actions exposed them to unreasonable risks and physical harm. In another incident, a 2014 lawsuit from a woman who was held at the Milwaukee. Another case of abusive treatment dates back to 1825, where a pregnant inmate Rachel Welch received a whipping so severe that it was suspected of causing her death not long after she gave birth (Yager, 2015) .
Neglect is also a primary concern faced by many pregnant women in the vast correctional facilities established in the country. Many inmates had reported receiving little or no attention when they requested care, even in times of emergency. Despite care being a necessity required to be provided by any guard or medical officer to an inmate, many of them have resolved to turn a blind ear to their inmates' cries. An article on the guardian recorded the story of Nicole Guerrero, who alluded to having been neglected while she was pregnant (Law, 2015) . According to Nicole, she had reported experiencing back pains and heavy bleeding; she said this matter to the nurse on duty, who was quick to dismiss her cries.
Nicole continued to endure the immense pain and was even taken to solitary for allegedly disturbing “the peace of others with her cries” for care. Later on, her child was pronounced dead shortly after being taken to hospital as it was conceived while Nicole was still in solitary. In another case, Bridgette Gibbs reported having told the prison medical staff of her history of miscarriages earlier on, two months pregnant and carrying twins. The medical team did not seem to care, and thus she received no examinations. Soon enough, she went into early labor, where her children died shortly after being conceived (Law, 2015) .
Food and nutrition are all essential factors that play a massive role in determining the growth and development of a fetus and the mother. Research has shown that nutritional deficit can in some cases cause an increase in the risk of the mother contracting gestational diabetes, which causes the fetus' trunk and shoulders to become wider for a vaginal birth (Law, 2015) . Despite the importance of such factors, many pregnant inmates have recorded being always hungry or receiving foods that may be of low nutritional value. An example of a case on this topic is based on a tour conducted in April 2019 on the Arizona state prison complex at Perryville.
The tour reports recorded that pregnant or recently pregnant women commonly reported receiving inadequate nutrition during their pregnancies (Daniel, 2019) . Here, most of the diet administered at the prison complex was found to lack fruits and vegetables. This resulted in most of these women having a deficiency in critical nutrients; the only other food pregnant women received at the prison was a carton of milk per day and an extra peanut butter sandwich, in another case recorded on the guardian. An inmate, Minna Long, who was serving time at the Clark County jail in Washington State in 2010 reported that, although receiving an extra eight-ounce carton of milk with all three meals, there were countless times the milk was expired and sour, making it unfavorable for drinking (Law, 2015) . Her pregnancy also caused her to feel a loathing toward many of the foods served at the facility; thus, she ended up occasionally starving as she served her three-month sentence.
In response to these significant problems stated above, key stakeholders who advocate for pregnant inmates' rights have vowed to take necessary actions. Furthermore, specific local correctional facilities like the Bedford hills disciplinary department have resolved to set up prison nurseries that allow convicted mothers to take care of their inmates as they serve their sentences. In this correctional facility, prisoners are allowed time to spend with their young ones in their early months, caring for and feeding them. Research has proven that breastfeeding an infant will enable them to develop a robust immune system and grow and develop without difficulties. This reason has been the primary consideration factor for establishing the prison nurseries (Yager, 2015) .
Another recommendation to reduce the high cases of neglect and abuse reported in prisons has been introducing surveillance cameras set up at different areas of a correctional facility, such as in the cells and hallways. These surveillance cameras have allowed for correctional officers and other staff assigned to care for prisoners to be held accountable to cases raised on them which are based on neglect while in duty. Also by improving prison policies like those on the diets that pregnant women should receive while in prison and making sure that the prison staff follows them also serve as another recommendation to reduce the significant problems stated in this paper (Daniel, 2019) . Besides, performing research and collecting data from insights from incarcerated pregnant women also serves as crucial factors in protecting this vulnerable population.
In conclusion, factors such as inadequate nutrition, healthcare, and other dynamic issues, for example, the shackling of pregnant women, influence them emotionally, physically, and mentally. Unfavorable policies and infringement rights of incarcerated pregnant mates are also aspects prevalent in the prison environment. The factors have, in turn, been proven to affect the emotional and mental health of pregnant women who are incarcerated. Thus, following the stated recommendations like setting up prison nurseries, surveillance cameras, performing research, and improving prison policies on areas like nutrition and data can prove advantageous to the growing number of pregnant incarcerated women.
References
Daniel, R. (2019). Prisons neglect pregnant women in their healthcare policies —prison policy initiative.
Law, V. (2015). Pregnant and behind bars: how the US prison system abuses mothers-to-be. The Guardian.
Silverstein, j. (2017). Dozens of Milwaukee County Jail inmates have been forced to give birth while shackled, the lawsuit alleges. New York: new york daily news.
Yager, S. (2015). prison born. The Atlantic.
