‘I cried myself to sleep, covered in blood’: Former prisoner who was pregnant while jailed calls for justice system overhaul

7 February 2025, 16:12 | Updated: 7 February 2025, 16:23

A former prisoner who was pregnant while behind bars has called for childbearing women to get more support from the justice system.

Susie, who's named has been changed, was imprisoned on remand for six months for a non-violent crime while in the early stages of pregnancy.

While awaiting trial, she developed sharp pains and bleeding and was twice taken to a hospital for treatment.

But Susie has told LBC that prison officers were callous in their treatment of her during the hospitals visits, with one suggesting that it would be best if she lost the baby.

She added that she was forced to remain handcuffed and submit to an invasive search before being taken to a hospital for medical treatment in the first incident.

"There was no sensitivity," she said.

Susie was found not guilty and left prison just before giving birth.

Now she's fighting for other imprisoned pregnant women and new mothers to get more support than she received.

Susie told LBC that the first incident took place after she developed sharp pains and bleeding.

There were no medical staff available, and she waited in her cell for several hours before two prison officers agreed to take her to the hospital.

"As they were letting me out of my cell, they were telling me I wasn't allowed to contact any family members, and that I would go through the same process as going to court, so when you go downstairs you still get searched and they let you know the penalties if you don’t follow the rules… you're handcuffed the entire time."

Results from hospital tests that day were inconclusive, and Susie was told she would have to come back in again a few days later.

"I was heavily bleeding but the prison officers looked almost excited when we left the hospital early because they had expressed that coming to A&E meant they weren't going to get home on time and that my medical emergency had been an inconvenience to them."

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In the van on the way back to the prison, Susie has told LBC that one of the officers suggested it would be for the best if she lost the baby.

"I was incredibly upset… I went back into the cell and cried myself to sleep… I was in so much pain…I was bleeding… I was covered in blood.

"The next morning, a prison officer said I had to get out of bed... but I just couldn't get out of bed."

"I thought I had lost my baby… I felt empty, I was so sad."

The prison officers who had been to the hospital with Susie hadn't informed other staff about what had happened.

‘There was no sensitivity around the fact that I might have lost my baby. I felt so sad and let down by the prison’.

When Susie was taken to a later appointment, she was told that her baby was safe and that she hadn’t had a miscarriage.

Susie told LBC that the rest of the pregnancy was difficult, with frequent hungry nights in the prison and a battle to squeeze on clothes which no longer fitted.

"Women are experiencing unspeakable injustices - and our children are being treated like second rate citizens," she said.

"We are robbing babies of a safe start to life."

"I’m calling for basic needs - I'm not saying get them a fur rug. I'm not saying get them silk sheets. I’m talking about the right to see a midwife, the right to have safe tests done in a timely manner... the right to care so you can have a safe birth."

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Researcher at Hertfordshire University’s School of Health and Social Work, Dr Laura Abbott, has found that imprisoning pregnant women and new mothers could do irreparable damage to families.

The midwife and senior lecturer who visited 5 prisons, speaking to prisoners, prison staff, midwives and social workers, during the course of her research said: "Almost universally women spoke about the rawness of their pain being very physical…they described it almost as if their heart had been ripped out."

Kate Chivers, the Head of Engagement at the charity Birth Companions, which helps women like Susie navigate pregnancy while in prison, warned that "prison is not a safe place for a pregnant woman".

"Pregnancy is frightening. The level of care just isn't there," Chivers added.

Chivers has campaigned for women to be kept out of prison when pregnant.

"We need to have bold, different conversations about how the criminal justice system responds to mothers of young infants and pregnant mothers. We need to think about community alternatives."

'The majority of women are not a danger to the public. They are not in prison for committing violent crimes and they can be supported in the community."

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It comes after a report from the Chief Inspector of Prisons, Charlie Taylor, which found that a ‘lack of basic care’ was driving women in prison to self-harm.

There are more than 3,600 female prisoners in England and Wales – a number the Ministry of Justice projects will rise to 4,200 by November 2027.

About two-thirds of those women are imprisoned for non-violent offences and most (55%) are victims of domestic abuse.

Campaigners are calling for an overhaul of the justice system, so that pregnant women and new mothers are kept out of prison.

They hope that the government’s independent sentencing review due to be published in the spring - led by former Justice Secretary David Gauke - will pave the way for this to happen.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “We are committed to reducing the number of women in prison by increasing support in the community and addressing the specific needs of women in the criminal justice system.

“This is why we are creating a Women’s Justice Board to focus on tailored solutions for mothers, young women, and pregnant women to ensure they receive the support they need.”