The prison system in England is ‘fundamentally unsafe’ for pregnant women, Birth Companions say (Picture: Getty/Shuttershock)
‘I haven’t got the words to describe what it’s like to be locked behind a solid steel door.’
Katie* was once pregnant behind bars, in an ordeal which left her ‘completely terrified’ and fearful for her baby’s health.
She is speaking out about her experience as the inquest into the death of Aisha Cleary comes to a close.
The baby died after being born in her mother’s cell in HMP Bronzefield in 2019.
Her mother, 18, was left ‘alone’ with her calls for help unanswered as she went into labour.
Blood-stained walls greeted prison guards in the morning who raised the alarm, but it was too late for baby Aisha.
The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman found the incident should ‘never have happened’ while others claimed Aisha’s mother was ‘badly failed’ by multiple agencies.
For Katie, who was imprisoned for three months for non violent crime, the case brought back traumatic memories.
A general view of prison officers at the new HMP Bronzefield in Ashford, Middlesex (Picture: PA)
She told Metro.co.uk: ‘I was seven weeks pregnant when I went in. I had no idea I would get a prison sentence, I was categorically told I wouldn’t’
‘So I was absolutely terrified when I got taken down to the cells from court and then to prison. I had no idea what to expect, no bag, no clothes. It was really scary as I thought “I’m going to lose this baby due to stress.’”
Katie felt ‘completely unacknowledged’ and didn’t even know what she was entitled to as a pregnant woman in prison – such as extra mattresses and extra food packs.
She added: ‘There was a pregnant woman on the wing with her who said “do you know Birth Companions come in on a Tuesday? One day I went along with her, and they were literally lifesavers with what they told me. I don’t think I would have survived without them.’
Birth Companion’s overarching aim is to persuade the government to end the use of prisons for pregnant women and mothers of infants.
The charity started working in Holloway Prison in north London in 1996, and now supports women in prisons across England.
Naomi Delap, director of Birth Companions, said the group had been ‘worried’ a case like Aisha’s could occur if changes weren’t made.
Naomi Delap, director of Birth Companions, wants to see an an end to pregnant women sent to prisons (Picture: Lisa Bretherick)
She told Metro.co.uk : ‘We knew the risks pregnant women and mothers and babies were experiencing every day. When we heard what happened [to Aisha] it was really shocking, but sadly not surprising because it was something we were worried was going to happen for a long time.
‘The nature of the prison system itself means it will fundamentally be unsafe, which is why now our campaign voice is about preventing imprisonment in the first place.’
In many countries, pregnant women never go to prison.
Over in countries such as Brazil, Ukraine and Mexico, courts prioritise community sentences, house arrest and probation supervision as means of punishment.
In England this is not the case, as Katie and others have found.
She described the treatment of Aisha and her mother was ‘disgraceful’.
Katie said: ‘When I heard the news, I got a gut wrenching feeling in my stomach and chest. I haven’t got the words to describe what it it is like to be locked behind a solid steel door.
READ MORE: ‘No births behind bars’: Protesters demand an end to the imprisonment of pregnant women
‘That poor girl being in the pain of labour giving birth on her own, it’s just the most inhumane thing to think about. The fact that she was stuck behind that door unable to get out and no-one came to her is disgraceful. She was just 18, and left all alone.’
Katie, who struggles with PTSD from her own prison experience, hopes to use her voice to create change.
She added: ‘Through Birth Companions, I understand I’m not a bad person and I can make a difference to other women. The more we get the news out there on what this experience is really like – by giving interviews or going by parliament – then hopefully that can have an impact on sentencing guidelines.’
Katie’s daughter, who she gave birth to after leaving prison, doesn’t know about her mother’s journey behind bars.
A ‘No Births Behind Bars’ protest was recently held to demand an end to the imprisonment of pregnant women and new mothers (Picture: Elizabeth Dalziel)
The family is waiting until she is older to break the news.
Katie was still behind bars when she was due her first scan.
She was told of the date and location, and diligently informed her partner – unaware this wasn’t allowed.
Once she reached the hospital, his arrival caused a huge scene as she was ushered away before her bloods could be taken.
Katie added: ‘I was marched out surrounded by security and prison guards. People in the waiting room area were pointing and going “that’s her, she’s the prisoner. That’s the one.” It was like i was some sort of axe murderer that had been on the news.
‘The first scan was meant to be one of the most magical moments of my life and it was tainted and horrendous.’
The Ministry of Justice said custody is always a ‘last resort’ for pregnant women (Picture: PA)
Katie added: ‘I want to make people aware that prisoners are humans. There is a huge stigma surrounding that if you’re in prison you must have done something terrible to be there.
‘A lot of the women I spoke to in prison were not a threat to the public, and it felt like they just didn’t deserve to be in prison at all.’
There are 12 women’s prisons in the UK and, currently, no publicly available figures on the number of pregnant women passing through the system each year, or on the outcomes of their pregnancies.
Two babies are confirmed to have died in women’s prisons in the past two years: one at Bronzefield in October 2019, and one at Styal prison in June 2020.
Birth Companions will work to make sure such a tragedy never occurs again.
Naomi said: ‘If the government ends the use of custody for pregnant women and mothers of infants, and prioritises services that address the root causes of offending, it will break intergenerational cycles of disadvantage and deliver huge benefits for women, their families and society.
‘It will not be enough to focus on sentencing alone. We need to end the use of remand, which has spiralled in recent years.
‘Aisha’s mother was herself held on remand, and released from custody soon after the tragic death of her baby. We also need to end the criminalisation of women whose offending is largely driven by experiences of trauma, abuse and poverty, and unmet needs associated with mental ill-health, domestic abuse and the use of substances.’
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson confirmed action had been taken to improve life behind bars for pregnant women.
He told Metro.co.uk: ‘Custody is always the last resort for women and Independent judges already consider mitigating factors, like pregnancy, when making sentencing decisions.
‘We have already taken decisive action to improve the support available for pregnant women in custody since 2019, including employing specialist mother and baby liaison officers in every women’s prison, conducting additional welfare observations and putting in place better screening and social services support so that pregnant prisoners get the care they require.’
*Names have been changed to protect the privacy of Katie’s daughter.
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The call follows the death of Aisha Cleary, who died after her 18-year-old mother gave birth alone in her cell.