Providing Care to Incarcerated Pregnant Patients: A Training for North Carolina Healthcare Professionals
New Legislation to Enhance the Care and Treatment of Incarcerated Women
In December 2021, North Carolina enacted a new law, the Dignity for Women who are Incarcerated Women Act, to provide important protections and care for female incarcerated persons related to pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum recovery. There are areas pertinent to healthcare and carceral settings.
To file a complaint with the NC Division of Health Service Regulation (DHSR) regarding lack of Dignity Act compliance in local jails. Please click HERE for info on how to file complaints.
Click HERE to review the booklets for pregnant and postpartum people. These booklets meet the educational requirements outlined in the Dignity Act (bound using glue-no staples or threads).
Contact the UNC Horizons Substance Use Disorder Program and Legal Services for help seeking substance use treatment services for incarcerated women, including pregnant and parenting women upon arrest and at any point during incarceration, including post-release. For more information call 919-903-0591.
Contact the Alcohol and Drug Council of NC to access available services statewide for pregnant and postpartum women, including those with dependent children, along with the general population who have a substance-related disorder.
For more information about services visit or call alcoholdrughelp.org 1-800-688-4232.
Click HERE to read the law.
Click HERE for a video summary of the Dignity Act by Dr. Kerianne Crockett
Click HERE for a summary of the new law and how to report a violatoin.
Click HERE for a handout available for jails regarding the law and important maternal health information.
Click HERE to listen to the MHLI podcast “Just Us: Before, Birth, and Beyond” featuring Kristie Puckett-Williams discussing her own journey from incarceration to advocacy.
Our Children’s Place of Coastal Horizons Center is a statewide program committed to the children of incarcerated parents. They aim to be the leading North Carolina advocate and educational resource focused on these children and the need for a statewide response to ensure their well-being. Click HERE for more information.
Families Impacted by Incarceration Tip Sheet: Supporting Relationships Between Children and Their Incarcerated Parents Find more resources from the National Resource Center on Children and Families of the Incarcerated at Rutgers University HERE.
A special bail fund for pregnant persons has been developed through the North Carolina Community Bail Fund of Durham. Those in need are encouraged to reach out to the North Carolina Community Bail Fund to seek assistance. To promote support of these services click HERE for more information.
Upon leaving prison or jail in North Carolina, individuals are encouraged to contact Phyllis “Grandma” Hardy from the National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls. She works across the state to help connect women to services and resources to help them reenter society and reduce the risk of recidivism.
Call 252-883-0048 or Email phardy@thecouncil.us.
The Nash, Edgecombe and Wilson (NEW) Reentry Council is a coalition of community stakeholders collaborating to reduce and eliminate barriers to successful reentry.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has created recommendations for the care of pregnant and postpartum people in carceral settings during COVID-19. Find the complete recommendations HERE.
Learn more about the latest recommendations on COVID vaccines and pregnant persons by reviewing THIS webinar from Brenna Hughes at Duke University.
Provide key answers to the persons in your care regarding questions about the COVID vaccine, pregnancy, and fertility from OBGYNs, a nurse, and a midwife HERE.
**Resources are currently being developed by UNC CMIH and statewide partners to provide guidance on ways to best mitigate COVID-19 within local county jails among pregnant women.