Community-Based Service Requests and Utilization Among Pregnant Women Incarcerated in Jail

Pregnant incarcerated women represent a unique population in the criminal justice system that has been largely overlooked in terms of their service-related needs. The present study examines 241 pregnant incarcerated women's service requests and preincarceration service utilization related to material help (e.g., food, housing), mental health (e.g., counseling), family services (e.g., home-visiting nurses), and health care (e.g., insurance). A subsample (n = 74) also provided information about service utilization following their release from jail. Analyses examined request and utilization patterns in relation to other sociodemographic risk experiences. Results show that specific risk factors such as age, as well as the accumulation of multiple risk factors, served as barriers to requesting and accessing community-based services. The present study illuminates unique challenges pregnant incarcerated women experience requesting and utilizing services. The results support the use of a gender-responsive, trauma-informed approach to better address the needs of these women.