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Primary Submission Category: Reproductive health
Identifying Opportunities to Promote the Reproductive Health and Goals of Formerly Incarcerated Young Men in the United States
Authors: Dylan B. Jackson, Ingie Osman, Krista P. Woodward, Rebecca J. Shlafer, Alexander Testa, Arik V. Marcell, Alison Gemmill,
Presenting Author: Dylan B. Jackson*
Mass incarceration in the United States (US) is a mechanism of social stratification and a driver of health disparities, including among young men (e.g., ages 15-29) who are disproportionately impacted. Despite robust evidence of the mental and physical health impacts of incarceration on young men, we know very little about formerly incarcerated young men’s reproductive health. Furthermore, the policy and programmatic levers that might optimize their reproductive health and facilitate their family planning and fatherhood goals remain unclear. The present study addresses this research gap via 23 key informant interviews with public health, medical, and criminal legal experts, representing 9 US states and the District of Columbia (DC). Guided by Braun and Clarke’s process of thematic analysis and utilizing an abductive approach, we employed Dedoose software to analyze the interview data. Overall, preliminary findings suggest formerly incarcerated young men’s reproductive health is often overlooked and under-addressed, with other social and reintegration needs being perceived as more pressing and, as a result, prioritized. When reproductive health needs are addressed, more immediate reproductive health concerns (e.g., STI screening, treatment) and risk mitigation are emphasized over strengths-based family planning services among formerly incarcerated young men. Most service providers remain unaware of young men’s current and future family formation priorities. Many interviewees discussed trauma-informed counseling, financial stability, and healthy relationship education as integral to supporting young men’s reproductive decision-making and overall family well-being. Results can help inform the development of tailored interventions to support the reproductive goals, education, and care of formerly incarcerated young men, and provide critical, first-of-its-kind data that can inform a national agenda for further research centering this neglected and understudied group.