Objectives: We examined whether incarcerated women would substantially increase birth control initiation if contraceptive services were available within the prison compared with after their release back into the community.
Methods: During phase 1 of the study, a nurse educator met with women at the Rhode Island Adult Correctional Institute and offered them referrals for contraceptive services at a community health clinic after their release. During phase 2, contraceptive services were offered to women during their incarceration.
Results: The majority of the participants (77.5%) reported a desire to initiate use of birth control methods. Within 4 weeks of their release, 4.4% of phase 1 participants initiated use of a contraceptive method, compared with 39.1% of phase 2 participants (odds ratio [OR]=14.6; 95% confidence interval [CI]=5.5, 38.8).
Conclusions: Provision of contraceptive services to women during their incarceration is feasible and greatly increases birth control initiation compared to providing services only in the community.