ABSTRACT
Women in prison are a vulnerable population with many uncertainties and added challenges when pregnant. They may move from one prison to another, which takes them away from family and friends, and there is no guarantee that they will be given a place on a mother-and-baby unit (MBU) to facilitate the baby staying with them after delivery. This chapter examines some of the reasons women go to prison, including the criminalisation of childbirth that has been reported, mostly in America. It focuses on the MBU in the United Kingdom, looking at the entry criteria and what life is like for the women and babies within them. The chapter discusses the role of the midwife in caring for women who are in prison and pregnant or new mothers. The midwife who looks after these women when they come to hospital may not have had any experience with caring for women who are imprisoned.
