Justice Core: An Innovative Response to Incarceration During Pregnancy in North Carolina

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Criminal Justice
• Substance Use Disorders

Background:

• Incarceration during pregnancy presents significant public health challenges.
• Limited research exists on interventions to mitigate harms for pregnant individuals in the justice system.
• Substance use disorders (SUDs) are prevalent among incarcerated pregnant populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and assess the feasibility and acceptability of Justice Core, a pretrial diversion intervention.
• To minimize incarceration exposure for pregnant individuals with SUDs.
• To improve access to SUD treatment for this vulnerable population.

Main Methods:

• Development of the Justice Core pretrial diversion intervention.
• Feasibility and acceptability assessment with referring jail staff.
• Needs assessment including jail incarceration data and SUD prevalence estimation.

Main Results:

• An estimated 1,220 to 1,461 annual incarcerations during pregnancy were identified in North Carolina jails.
• An estimated 66% prevalence of perinatal SUDs was found among the studied population.
• The Justice Core intervention was found to be feasible and acceptable to jail staff.

Conclusions:

• The Justice Core model shows promise for reducing incarceration duration and severity for pregnant individuals with SUDs.
• Diversion into SUD treatment can potentially decrease harms associated with jail and prison environments.
• This intervention offers a pathway to better health outcomes for pregnant individuals with SUDs involved in the justice system.