Essential standards for perinatal care of women and children living in prison

Van Hout, MC, Johnson-Gomez, A, Madroumi, R ORCID: 0009-0001-9002-5644, Calder, I, Frey, B and Matonich, J (2026) Essential standards for perinatal care of women and children living in prison. The Lancet Public Health, 11 (3). e197-e201. ISSN 2468-2667

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Abstract

The female prison population continues to rise, with prisons worldwide failing to meet international human rights standards. Many are overcrowded, poorly resourced, and unsafe, especially for women. Women in prison are an obstetric group at high risk, with deficits in perinatal care leading to preventable maternal and child morbidity and mortality. Mother–child imprisonment and mother–child separation can have substantial intergenerational health and social consequences. In this Viewpoint, we present essential standards for perinatal care of women and children who are incarcerated, aligned to human rights obligations, prioritising alternatives to imprisonment, and where custodial sentences are applied, emphasising essential core best practices in prison (inclusion of prisons in national maternal health strategies, resourcing of prison facilities, services, staffing, and medical competencies, comprehensive medical management of pregnancy, obstetric and postpartum care, and release planning). To ensure the rights of women and children in diverse contexts are upheld, standards should be enforced through independent inspections, clinical audits, and integrated public and prison health monitoring of perinatal health outcomes.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Humans; Perinatal Care; Pregnancy; Human Rights; Prisons; Child; Prisoners; Female; Health Services for Prisoners; Humans; Female; Perinatal Care; Pregnancy; Health Services for Prisoners; Child; Prisons; Prisoners; Human Rights; 4204 Midwifery; 42 Health Sciences; Health Services; Pregnancy; Health Disparities and Racial or Ethnic Minority Health Research; Clinical Research; Maternal Morbidity and Mortality; Prevention; Social Determinants of Health; Pediatric Research Initiative; Women's Health; Perinatal Period - Conditions Originating in Perinatal Period; Health Disparities; Maternal Health; Behavioral and Social Science; Reproductive health and childbirth; 3 Good Health and Well Being; Humans; Female; Perinatal Care; Pregnancy; Health Services for Prisoners; Child; Prisons; Prisoners; Human Rights; 4206 Public health
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology R Medicine > RJ Pediatrics > RJ101 Child Health. Child health services H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Criminology > HV8301 Penology. Prisons. Corrections H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare. Criminology > HV697 Protection, assistance and relief
Divisions:	Psychology (from Sep 2019)
Publisher:	Elseiver
Date of acceptance:	1 October 2025
Date of first compliant Open Access:	14 July 2026
Date Deposited:	14 Jul 2026 13:22
Last Modified:	14 Jul 2026 13:22
DOI or ID number:	10.1016/S2468-2667(25)00320-2
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/29011

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