Motherhood in carceral space: pregnancy, childbirth, and maternity in prisons and immigration removal centres in England

I will explore the experiences of pregnancy, childbirth and maternity in women’s prisons and immigration removal centres in England. Existing research in this area has focused almost exclusively on the impact of maternal incarceration and detention on separated children. I will focus on incarcerated and detained women and their experience of motherhood in these institutions. 

I will conduct fieldwork in two women’s prisons and two immigration removal centres. I will examine the conceptual and practical implications for our understanding of dignity, agency, autonomy and privacy and ask how the experiences of pregnancy, childbirth and maternity in these institutions further our understanding of the gendered harms of custodial space.