Abstract
Very little empirical research has been conducted on pregnant inmates, a rapidly growing population, the majority of which has substance use disorders. It is important to identify the potential needs of these women in order to modify jail and prison conditions to improve birth outcomes. This study compared 53 pregnant inmates to 1160 non-pregnant female inmates on demographic and substance use and abuse variables to begin to understand the needs of pregnant inmates. The study supported other findings that women appear to reduce their drug use during pregnancy. About 90% of the pregnant women had long-standing problems with substances, mostly illegal drugs. The implications of experiencing pregnancy in prison are discussed.
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