Pregnant women in prison in England are three times as likely to be diagnosed with gestational diabetes than those not incarcerated, the Guardian has reported.

Data from NHS trusts shared through freedom of information requests and published in February showed that 12% of women in prison receiving pregnancy care in 2023 had been diagnosed with the condition, compared to just 4% nationally.

Gestational diabetes is a form of diabetes associated with pregnancy and, especially, its second and third trimesters. Per the NHS, the condition disproportionately affects Black, South Asian and Middle Eastern communities, as well as those with a BMI over 30.

These findings come amid concern for the well-being of pregnant prisoners. Data collected by the Observer in 2021 showed that women in English prisons were five times more likely to suffer stillbirths and twice as likely to give birth prematurely.

In September 2022, over 100 experts released an open letter to then-justice secretary Brandon Lewis and the Sentencing Council for England and Wales, calling for a review into the sentencing of pregnant offenders.

The letter warned that pregnant prisoners did not receive proper nutrition and experienced a ‘debilitating’ fear of being separated from their children. Signatories included the Royal College of Midwives.

The British Medical Journal has reported that senior midwives and researchers expressed serious concerns over the wellbeing of pregnant prisoners and their children. They stressed that ‘prison services do not match the accessibility of NHS services’

In 2024, the Sentencing Council introduced pregnancy as a mitigating factor during sentencing. There have nonetheless been calls for further reforms, with some calling to end the incarceration of pregnant women entirely.

Janey Starling, of the gender justice group, Level Up, said: ‘Prison will never be a safe place for pregnant women. Prisons are extremely stressful places that negatively impact your mental and physical health – and if you’re pregnant, the impact on you and your child is long-lasting.’