Incarceration As a Pipeline to Reproductive Violence and Oppression

Background and Purpose: Mass incarceration is not merely a site of reproductive neglect—it is an active mechanism of reproductive violence and oppression. Grounded in reproductive justice and critical abolitionist feminist frameworks, this study examines how reproductive harm is structurally enforced across the carceral state. Specifically, it interrogates state-sanctioned reproductive coercion, punitive child welfare interventions, medical neglect, and institutional biases that shape the reproductive lives of incarcerated and system-impacted individuals.

Beyond exposing these systemic practices, this study foregrounds the resistance strategies and survival practices employed by those navigating these oppressive structures. By centering the agency and resilience of impacted individuals, this research highlights the ways in which they contest and endure reproductive violence within and beyond carceral settings.

Methods: This IRB-approved qualitative phenomenological study engaged system-impacted women and assigned female at birth (AFAB) individuals. Data were collected through two semi-structured, in-person interviews per participant at local emergency shelters. Interviews explored participants' experiences with reproductive oppression in various carceral contexts. Data were audio-recorded, transcribed, de-identified, and analyzed thematically, emphasizing patterns of reproductive violence, systemic coercion, and forms of resistance across participants' narratives.

Results: Analysis identified five interconnected themes: (1) Carceral Gender Violence, (2) Criminalization of Parenthood, (3) Reproductive Oppression and Resistance, (4) Racialized Medical Violence, and (5) Community Support and Systemic Change. Participants described pervasive reproductive coercion embedded within carceral institutions, demonstrating how incarceration systematically restricts reproductive autonomy. Punitive child welfare policies, exemplified by legislation such as the Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA), further criminalized parenthood, exacerbating family separation and state surveillance of reproductive lives. Additionally, institutional racism intensified reproductive injustices, with medical neglect and discriminatory practices disproportionately targeting Black and Indigenous individuals.

Despite these severe structural barriers, participants articulated acts of resistance, employing community advocacy, grassroots reproductive healthcare networks, and mutual aid practices to challenge and counteract systemic oppression. These narratives underscore that reproductive violence is not merely episodic or isolated; it represents an integrated, sustained form of gender-based violence maintained by institutionalized carceral practices and policies. Participants' experiences highlight an urgent need for systemic change and transformative justice approaches to reproductive health and rights.

Conclusions and Implications: This study underscores incarceration as a systemic source of reproductive violence, emphasizing the critical need for abolitionist-informed policies and practices that prioritize community-driven reproductive justice solutions. Findings illuminate the ethical obligation of social workers to advocate for dismantling oppressive carceral structures, expanding access to community-based healthcare, and promoting reproductive autonomy and justice. Aligning with core social work values of social justice, dignity, and human rights, these insights carry important implications for policy advocacy, practice transformation, and ongoing efforts to eliminate gender-based violence within and beyond carceral institutions.