Pregnant women and their babies endure inhumane conditions in jails
18 hours ago
- #jail_mistreatment
- #pregnant_women
- #medical_neglect
- Chasity Congious gave birth alone in a Texas jail cell; her baby died days later due to lack of medical care.
- A yearlong investigation by Bloomberg Law and NBC News reveals systemic failures in jails nationwide, with pregnant women often ignored or mistreated.
- At least 54 federal civil rights lawsuits from 2017 to 2024 allege severe mistreatment or medical neglect of pregnant women in jails.
- Cases include women giving birth in toilets, on dirty floors, or suffering miscarriages after pleas for help were dismissed.
- Some states have passed laws to reduce incarceration of pregnant women, but reforms remain rare.
- Jails often lack uniform regulations for prenatal care, and many outsource medical services to for-profit companies with limited oversight.
- Women in custody face biases, with staff often dismissing their medical complaints or treating them as unfit mothers.
- Several babies survived but with long-term health issues, while others died shortly after birth or were stillborn.
- Advocates and some law enforcement officials argue fewer pregnant women should be jailed, especially for nonviolent offenses.
- Families of affected women have sued jails and medical providers, with some cases settled for millions, but many were dismissed.