Pregnancy and maternity in prison: healthcare from the perspective of women imprisoned in a maternal and child unit

Abstract

This article presents results of a research carried out in the maternal and child prison unit in the State of Minas Gerais. In order to deal with the impressions that women imprisoned in the Reference Center for Pregnant Women in Private Liberty (CRGPL) have on health care offered by the institution, the processed data were analyzed from semi-structured interviews and structured questionnaires. The research was conducted in 2017, and the analysis proposed in this study is guided by the understanding of the concept of health from the “social, psychological and health care assistance” standpoint, from the perspective of social representations. As a result, there is a certain positive evaluation of health care from the perspective of pregnant women and new mothers at the Center, and this is marked, according to reports, by the previous prison experiences of the interviewees. However, some problems faced in the CRGPL were raised by the inmates, and described as a source of several sufferings.

Keywords:
health; maternity; pregnancy; female prison