An excellent read for any and all readers! Author comes at you with both barrels and knocks you out of your shoes! Great job fleshing out all the characters. I give this book FIVE stars! Definitely recommend!

I was already interested in the topic even before I got the book, so I'm really grateful to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read a preview. But I'll be honest: the opinion I'm reporting is based on my own reading experience.

I have to say, this book is extremely well structured. It's an essay that's clearly and logically constructed. The topic is really well explored, and it's not a pretty picture. It's pretty shocking how pregnant women are treated in prisons and how childbirth is handled in these facilities. Bringing back the past of some of the main characters really makes the experience feel more real and makes the reader feel more empathy. I also found the research to be interesting and well organized.

But I was disappointed that the essay doesn't really address the shortcomings of the prison system when it comes to pregnant and postpartum inmates. It's more of a dissertation, and it might be off-putting for some readers. To be honest, the text is a bit hard to follow at first because it's written in a way that's more like a dissertation than something easy for the average reader to understand.

This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I would've liked to have known about it earlier so I could've approached the reading better. Maybe it would've been good to point it out in the intro and explain the type of content that was going to be read. Either way, it's an interesting read. I recommend it because, no matter what the topic is, it's a thought-provoking text about how we run our society and what improvements we might need.

PLEASE NOTE: A fully completed review will ben published on my blog (https://medium.com/@inabookhole) on June 19 and on my social (Instagram and Reddit).

This was a very interesting read on the effects and treatment of pregnant women incarcerated. I for the most part found it very informative my only critique is it read like a research paper. i initially found it hard to get into but once we got to the different women and their stories it was much easier to read.

I really liked this book. It was so interesting to read about the issues incarcerated women have to deal with, and how inhumanely they are treated. It is eye opening, heartbreaking, and just plain sad. I think it is important for people to be more aware of these issues

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

As someone with a Sociology degree, I was drawn towards the title of the book and its subject matter. Although I enjoyed reading about the numerous women in the book, their background stories, their experiences being pregnant in jail and how it is to give birth while incarcerated. It reads more like a dissertation not a standard non fiction book. There is so much context having to be prefaced first that the actual story doesn’t even start until page 43. It is my opinion that it would have been better if it read like a book, with each woman having their own chapter.

*Birth Behind Bars* by Rebecca Rodriguez Carey is a poignant and thought-provoking exploration of the intersection between pregnancy, incarceration, and the justice system. In this book, Carey shares the stories of women who have given birth while incarcerated, shedding light on the often-overlooked realities faced by these women. Through her research and interviews, she examines the psychological, emotional, and physical tolls that incarceration during pregnancy takes on both mothers and their children.

The book provides a critical look at the policies surrounding reproductive health and maternal care within prisons, emphasizing how systemic inequalities impact the ability of incarcerated women to access proper prenatal and postnatal care. It also touches on the broader societal issues, such as the criminalization of motherhood, racial disparities, and the cycle of trauma that many of these women experience.

Carey’s writing is compassionate yet unflinching, offering a balanced combination of personal stories, statistical data, and analysis of the institutional practices that contribute to the mistreatment of pregnant women in prison. Her work not only highlights the profound injustices of the penal system but also underscores the need for reform, particularly in terms of how incarcerated women are treated during pregnancy and childbirth.

*Birth Behind Bars* is a powerful call to action, urging readers to reconsider the human rights of incarcerated individuals and to advocate for systemic changes that prioritize health and dignity over punishment. It is an essential read for anyone interested in criminal justice, reproductive rights, and social justice, offering a deep dive into a crucial issue that is often ignored or misunderstood.

This is a gut-wrenching account of women's experiences with birth and motherhood behind bars. The women's stories read like a horror movie, except this was real life in the US of A! A woman's autonomy is stripped from her the moment she begins her sentence: everything from decisions about prenatal care, her diet, right to abort in timely manner. These crucial decisions are decided by bureaucrats and the budget is given careful scrutiny. The stories shared reveal how pregnant women have limited means and resources, leaving them vulnerable to endure abusive relationships; some women see incarceration as a blessing because they at least know they'll get three meals a day and can sober up for a better chance at delivering a healthy baby.
The harshest details were the systematic shackling of women during childbirth. It is offensive and inconceivable that a woman is capable of escape during or after childbirth: they are heavily medicated, left physically exhausted from the birthing process, and the women who have cesarian birth, are in no condition to get up from their hospital bed to escape custody. However, one correctional officer wanted to apply shackles to an inmate who was about to give birth, because the CO, "had to use the bathroom."
The main theme throughout these accounts, is that there is no universal regulation of processes and policies within the penal system and carceral system. Even when there are laws enacted, it is well known that correctional facilities don't adhere to them and since there seems to be no consequence, who's going to stop them?

I really enjoyed reading this book. I told typically read non-fiction but the description of the book interested me. I loved reading about all the interviews with the women & learning about their stories. Gives you a different perspective on what goes on in the prisons.