Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Describe the prevalence, health, and birth outcomes of incarcerated pregnant individuals in California between 2011 and 2015. STUDY DESIGN: A population-based cohort study was performed using linked birth certificate and hospital discharge data. Associations between incarceration and birth outcomes were examined, including multivariable logistic regression to estimate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: Amongst 1401 incarcerated and 551,029 nonincarcerated pregnant people across 112 delivery hospitals, 33% of incarcerated individuals had late initiation of prenatal care; 2.4% experienced severe maternal morbidity, compared to 18.9% and 1.6% of controls, respectively (p < 0.05). Births to incarcerated individuals had higher adjusted likelihoods of prematurity (OR 1.42, 95% CI 1.21, 1.67), small for gestational age (OR 1.31, 95% CI 1.11, 1.56), and NICU admission (OR 1.64, 95% CI, 1.40, 1.93) relative to controls. CONCLUSION: Incarcerated individuals have greater likelihood of negative birth outcomes. Identification of approaches to reduce these harms is warranted.