The aim of this study is to explore and understand the provision of healthcare to incarcerated pregnant women, to gain a better understanding of the factors which contribute to their health. To complete this study, I am looking to speak with:

1)  People who were pregnant while incarcerated in an a facility located in Ontario 

and 

2)  Service providers who have worked with people who were pregnant while incarcerated in a facility located in Ontario. 

Information about participating in this research is included throughout this website.

Although you may have become aware of this research project through an organization or agency which provides services to people who are or were incarcerated, this project is being conducted independently from these organizations and agencies. Your participation in this research project is voluntary – you do not need to participate in this research project if you do not want to. Your services will not be affected by your decision to participate in this research project. If you decide to participate in this research project, the answers you provide during the interview will not be shared with the organization or agency, and your answers will not affect the services you receive from the organization or agency.

My research focuses on the provision of care services for pregnant and incarcerated people in Ontario (Canada).

Participants who were pregnant and incarcerated
This study will explore the experiences of individuals who were pregnant while incarcerated in a facility located in the province of Ontario, Canada. There are no requirements related to the pregnancy duration or outcome. I am looking for participants who meet all of the following eligibility criteria:

• Are 18 years of age or older
• Were incarcerated between January 1st, 2012, and before the scheduled date and time.
• Were pregnant while incarcerated
• Speak and understand either French or English.
• Ability to provide written or verbal informed consent to participate in the research.
• Willing to share their experience during an interview.
• Agree to the interview being audio- and/or video-recorded for accuracy of data collection and transcription.

Health and social services providers
This study will explore the experiences of service providers who worked with individuals who were pregnant while incarcerated in a facility located in the province of Ontario, Canada. There are no requirements related to the pregnancy duration or outcome. I am looking for participants who meet all of the following eligibility criteria:

• Have worked as a service provider for people who were pregnant while incarcerated  
• Worked as a service provider in Ontario between January 1, 2012 and before the date and time scheduled for the interview.
• Speak and understand either French or English.
• Ability to provide written or verbal informed consent to participate in the research.
• Willing to share their experience during an interview.
• Agree to the interview being audio- and/or video-recorded for accuracy of data collection and transcription.

If you decide to participate in an interview, you will be compensated for sharing your experiences and for your time.

Participants will take part in one interview, which will last between 45 and 60 minutes. The information your share during the interview will be confidential. The interview will be conducted at a time which is convenient and appropriate for your schedule. Depending on which language you feel more comfortable expressing yourself, the interview will take place in either French or English. If during the interview you would like to switch between both languages (French and English), you can do so. I will be interviewing the participant. The interview can be conducted using the Zoom video platform, Microsoft Teams or in-person. In-person interviews will only be offered to participants who reside within the Ottawa area. If the interview is done through Zoom or Microsoft Teams, I recommend you have access to a quiet, private space where you can speak freely. You will need access to either a computer or smartphone, internet access and headphones.

All interviews will be recorded so they can be transcribed later. You can decide to have sections of your interview removed from the transcripts after the interview. The results of the analysed interviews will be used for my PhD thesis. The data will contribute to identify ways to improve policies and decision-making in health service delivery to incarcerate pregnant people.

Participants in this study will have the opportunity to share their stories and increase the public's understanding of the experiences of people who are pregnant while incarcerated and of health and social service providers. Participants will also contribute to identifying options for addressing incarcerated people's concerns related to the quality of care they receive while incarcerated and pregnant. Participants will also help identify strategies to improve policies and decision-making in the delivery of health services to incarcerated pregnant people. Participants may also experience satisfaction and positive feelings about being part of a study aiming to improve the quality of care services offered to pregnant and incarcerated people.

Participants may experience physical or emotional discomfort when reflecting on experiences from when they were incarcerated and pregnant. Participants will be asked to revisit and share possibly unpleasant and/or difficult times in their lives. This may cause participants to feel upset and/or uncomfortable. Since your participation in this study will entail sharing personal information, this may trigger emotions and cause you to feel discomfort.

Every effort will be made to minimize these risks by ensuring participation remains voluntary and anonymous. For example, participants will have as much time as they need to answer the questions. Also, all the transcripts and quotes used in this study will be anonymized and no identifying information will be used in the study reports and other publications. Participants can withdraw from the study at any time or request to have portions of their interview removed from the transcripts, after the interview has ended. Participants may choose to share only the information they are comfortable discussing during the interview and can stop the interview at any time.

As a part of the University of Ottawa Health Sciences Research Ethics Board research protocol, all participants will be asked to review the consent form and provide verbal consent to participate in the research. The consent form has information about the study including the purpose, risks, benefits, and information about how the interview data will be kept secure.

Any information shared by participants will remain confidential. The information will only be used for the study and participants’ confidentiality will be protected. The content of the interviews will only be discussed with the research supervisor. Full transcripts or datasets will not be shared with thesis advisory committee members. To protect participants’ anonymity, participants’ names will not be recorded with their responses or identified in any way. A unique code will be assigned to each participant to identify their electronic recording of the interview and interview transcripts. Participants’ names will not be used when results are presented. Participants’ identity will not be revealed in any reports or publications emerging from this study. Participants can also choose to withdraw their quotes at any time. At the end of the interview, participants will be asked if there are any portions of what they have said that they do not want quoted. This request will be recorded digitally and in writing by the interviewer.

All information collected (digital recording of interview, interview transcript, and the researcher’s field notes) will be stored on the University of Ottawa OneDrive, which requires a secure password to access. All computers on which study data will be stored will be password-protected. The data will be accessible only by my thesis supervisor and myself. The computer which will be used to access the file will be password-protected computer. The electronic recordings will be destroyed one year after the PhD thesis defense.