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Background: Incarcerated perinatal populations report high rates of substance use in the United States (US). Despite this, substance use disorder (SUD) treatment is not routinely available in carceral settings and state policies related to the provision of substance use screening and treatment are unknown. Methods: We conducted a systematic search in WestLaw through the end of the 2020 legislative session combining the terms "pregnant" and "postpartum" with terms for incarceration and related terms. The search returned 453 statutes from 43 states. A deductive codebook of various maternal health topics was developed. Legislative texts related to SUD screening and treatment were extracted for textual analysis. Results: Of the 43 states identified as having at least 1 state statute pertaining to pregnant or postpartum incarcerated people, 7 states had statutes relevant to SUD screening and treatment. Statutes related to substance use screening, education, treatment and diversion programs, program eligibility, aftercare and release planning, and funding appropriations. Conclusions: The majority of states across the U.S. lack legislation that address SUD screening and treatment among incarcerated perinatal populations. Given the known limited access to SUD treatment for perinatal populations in custody, increasing legislative statutes could increase access to essential care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the number of people incarcerated in the United States has grown dramatically, research on how incarceration affects individuals and the communities they return to has lagged behind. This may be because of the unique challenges of doing research within carceral systems and the relatively small number of investigators who are competent to undertake these efforts. We provide a primer for investigators with limited experience conducting research in carceral settings and highlight considerations and recommendations that may aid those conducting health research with incarcerated persons. We follow this with an illustrative case example exemplifying how the considerations apply to recent health research that our team conducted on mental illness prevalence in a large regional jail. Understanding how to effectively conduct research with criminal justice populations and systems is the first step in beginning to understand the effects of mass incarceration as a driver of health disparities and health inequity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]