Best Practice

Minnesota Prison Doula Project

State/Jurisdiction: Minnesota
Setting: Community
Population: Life Course Families & Caregivers Infant Women & Maternal
Topic Area: Access to Quality Healthcare Family & Youth Engagement Health Promotion & Communication Mental Health & Substance Use Reproductive Health Care Coordination Birth Outcomes Workforce Development
NPMs:

The Minnesota Prison Doula Project (MnPDP) was created to address the significant gaps in care for pregnant incarcerated women. Incarcerated pregnant women face high levels of stress, unique challenges, and inadequate access to reproductive healthcare, which can negatively impact both maternal and infant health outcomes. Many prisons lack specialized support for pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum recovery, leaving pregnant and postpartum women without critical emotional and physical care during these challenging times. The project aims to reduce these challenges and improve health outcomes by providing trauma-informed, gender-responsive support.

MnPDP primarily serves pregnant and postpartum women in correctional facilities, focusing on those who are incarcerated in Minnesota’s women's prison and county jails. These participants often have histories of substance use disorder. Many are also navigating the complexities of separation from their newborns after birth, making perinatal support essential for both physical and emotional well-being.

The project strives to:
• Provide doula support for incarcerated pregnant women, offering emotional, physical, and informational assistance before, during, and after childbirth.
• Improve maternal and neonatal health outcomes by ensuring access to compassionate, evidence-based care.
• Reduce negative experiences associated with incarceration for both the mother and child, including advocating against harmful practices like shackling during labor.
• Support bonding between incarcerated women and newborns, particularly in the critical postpartum period.
• Advocate for changes to improve maternal and infant outcomes and perinatal care in correctional settings.

The Perinatal Substance Use Disorder Implementation & Policy Hub project is supported by the Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts (FORE) and Perigee Fund. The content presented is the responsibility of the featured practices and policies and does not necessarily reflect the views of FORE, Perigee Fund, or AMCHP.

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CONTACT INFORMATION
University of Minnesota
Rebecca Shlafer
shlaf002@umn.edu
info@mnprisondoulaproject.org

Practice Website


For more information about this practice, please email evidence@amchp.org