Pregnancy and Postpartum in Pr*son: Healthcare, Law, and Lived Experience

Join CIC for our third annual hybrid Global Pr*son Nursery Network Symposium, co-hosted by the University of Minnesota

About this Event

Pregnancy behind bars is an overlooked human rights issue. When someone who is pregnant or has recently given birth is facing criminal sentencing, international guidelines recommend that countries prioritize non-custodial alternatives. If incarceration is unavoidable, they should receive adequate perinatal care and be allowed contact with their child. Too often, this does not happen.

Around the world, researchers are examining pregnancy in custody, including its prevalence, access to care, and birth outcomes. At the same time, NGOs – often guided by impacted people – are providing critical support to incarcerated pregnant people, advocating for alternative sentencing, and demanding better care in correctional facilities.

At Children of Incarcerated Caregivers’ third annual GPNN Symposium, we will bring together dedicated experts to share what they have learned, their experiences, and their recommendations to improve perinatal care and reduce the number of pregnant people in custody.

Join us for important conversations at the intersection of health, law, and human rights, including:

• The need for international standards for perinatal care in custody
• Advocacy tools and best practices to improve care and protections in jails and prisons
• Alternatives to incarceration for pregnant people and new parents

Day 1 - October 30


🕑: 08:30 AM - 09:00 AM
Opening Remarks
Host: Barbara A. Frey

🕑: 09:00 AM - 09:30 AM
Keynote
Host: Dr. Rebecca Shlafer

🕑: 09:30 AM - 10:45 AM
Advancing International Guidelines for Perinatal Care in Prisons
Host: Dr. Robert Paterson

Info: Moderated by Professor Marie Claire Van Hout, Vice President, Research, Innovation and Impact, South East Technological University

🕑: 11:00 AM - 11:15 AM
Born Inside: Birth Experiences During Incarceration & the Need for Doula Care
Host: Dr. Sheela Maru

🕑: 11:15 AM - 12:30 PM
Effective Advocacy Through Litigation, Monitoring, and Collaboration
Host: Veronica Filippeschi

Info: Moderated by Stuti Shah, doctoral candidate at Columbia Law School. Her research lies at the intersection of criminal justice and reproductive justice, employing socio-legal and comparative methodologies

Day 2 - October 31


🕑: 08:30 AM - 09:00 AM
Respecting the Best Interests of the Child
Host: Dr. Carrie Booth Walling

Info: Day 2 Introduction, comments, and Q&A

🕑: 09:00 AM - 10:15 AM
Keeping Mothers and Babies Together
Host: Ruth Breen

Info: Moderated by Isabel Coronado, citizen of the Muscogee Nation, a Changemaker with NewDeal4Youth, coordinator of the Family-Based Justice Center Research at New York University’s Marron Institute

🕑: 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Progress and Pushback on Laws
Host: Maya Sikand KC

Info: Moderated by Julie Matonich, Attorney and Co-Founder of Children of Incarcerated Caregivers

🕑: 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Mitigating Harms of Separation
Host: Faith Masupa

Info: Moderated by Isabella Sánchez, clinical psychologist and systemic family therapist specializing in justice, incarceration, and vulnerable populations

Also check out other Health & Wellness events in Minneapolis.