INSTITUTIONAL RACISM AND MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH: EXPLORING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CORRECTIONAL CONTROL, MATERNAL MORBIDITY, AND PRETERM BIRTH

Abstract

Racism permeates all U.S. institutions. The criminal justice system has been identified as a clear form of structural racism. Numerous studies have documented disproportionate criminal justice contact among Black people. Several researchers have used the Black/White differences in incarceration as an indicator of racism. However, there are 4.5 million people under community supervision, in addition to the 2.3 million people incarcerated in the U.S. Despite this large number of the population being under this type of correctional supervision, probation and parole does not receive as much attention in studies of institutional racism and health. Probation and parole are important to consider in any investigation of criminal justice system involvement because they are major drivers of mass incarceration in the United States. Incarceration, parole and probation can have negative effects on individuals, families and communities, with Black people disproportionately impacted by these negative outcomes. This study utilized the indicator of Black/White differences in Correctional Control (defined as populations who are on probation, paroled and incarcerated in jail and state prison) as a proxy for institutional racism on overall population health. This dissertation utilized Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), and Bureau of Justice Statistics data to investigate the relationship between institutional racism (i.e. Black/white differences in state level Correctional control) on disparities in rates of preterm birth, postpartum depression and pregnancy hypertension among Black and White women.