Prison will never be a safe place to be pregnant. In the last five years, three babies born to women in prison have died.
Even if the worst doesn't happen, prison causes toxic stress and trauma to both mother and child. Short sentences can have a long-lasting, lifelong negative impact, with many mums and babies being separated by the prison system.
The government can and must put an end to imprisoning pregnant women and new mothers by changing bail and sentencing laws.
Why is this important?
Prison will never be a safe place for pregnant women and new mothers. Pregnant women in prison are seven times more likely to suffer a stillbirth than women in the community, and twice as likely to give birth prematurely. One in ten pregnant women give birth in their cell or on the way to hospital.
Toxic stress during a mother's pregnancy affects her baby's development. Prisons are extremely stressful places that negatively impact your mental and physical health – and if you're pregnant, the impact on you and your child is long-lasting.
The majority of women enter prison for sentences of six months or less – which is enough time to lose your home, job and be totally cut off from your family and support networks. When a woman is supported in her community, she is able to tackle the issues that swept her up into crime in the first place. In her community, she’s able to get support to give her child the best start in life, including easy access to antenatal and postnatal healthcare. All evidence shows that pregnant women and mothers should be kept in the community – but without public pressure, the system is slow to change.
Level Up’s campaign has already secured some changes to sentencing. Thanks to our lobbying, the Sentencing Council introduced a new mitigating factor for pregnancy in April 2024, which means that courts have to consider the impact of prison on a woman, her pregnancy, and her baby when deciding whether or not to send her to prison. However, this doesn’t go far enough: the government must act too.
Prison is not a safe place for pregnant women. The whole time I was there, I felt worried about my health and the health of my baby. From sleeping on a paper thin mattress with the metal frame hurting my hip bones, to no adequate nutritional food or supplements besides a pot of folic acid, it was inhumane. I was taken to my first baby scan in handcuffs.
— Olivia
2,817 Comments
Life is so important
No baby should be born in prison. How can such a poor start ever lead to a positive outcome?
I feel for any kind born in jaiii
I was in jail for 1 of my pregnancies thank goodness I made it to the hospital and didn’t have her in my cell. It’s the worst thing to have a C.O. hold your leg while your having your baby and then having to leave her there while you go to back to jail is the worst thing in the world. Unless you kill somebody u should never be in jail pregnant it is definitely very cruel and inhumane.
This is wrong it needs to stop
Your not alone, I and my family will stand with you forever
No newborn deserves to be born in a prison. No mother should have to wonder if herself and baby is going to make it through labour alive.
Dear Level Up – if you haven’t already done so, please create this petition on https://petition.parliament.uk/ as the UK Government ONLY ACCEPT petitions via their own Petitions website….so all of your website petitions will not be counted. I have done a quick search and it doesn’t look like there are any ‘Stop sending pregnant women to prison’ petitions on the Gov UK Petitions website. It is critical to encourage UK signatories to sign a UK Government petition…if you reach 10,000 signatures this will force the UK Gov to issue a detailed written response. If you reach 100,000 signatures the UK Gov ‘will consider’ debating it in Westminster Hall…it is very rare and hard to reach 100,000 signatures BUT it is possible (only 150 petitions out of 47,000 petitions have ever reached 100,000 – one I was involved with DID make it through and was debated successfully) so I strongly encourage your organisation to submit your petition to the UK Gov Petitions page, it is easy to do so AND the Petitions teams are really helpful. Good Luck and I will be receiving updates and would actively sign your UK Gov Petition as soon as it is ‘live’ as this abuse of pregnant women and babies has to stop NOW.
We are in the Dark Ages if pregnant women are licked up instead of supported with their issues. Babies are taken away from them which traumatised both. Prison is unsafe for pregnant women and their unborn babies.
The abuse of pregnant women and babies by the legal system has to stop.
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