HEALTHCARE DURING PREGNANCY AND THE POSTPARTUM PERIOD IN THE BRAZILIAN PRISON SYSTEM: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Abstract

This article aimed to compare the healthcare provided to pregnant and postpartum women in the Brazilian prison system with the care standards established by national and international normative guidelines on the subject. This systematic review was conducted according to the PRISMA 2020 recommendations. The guiding question was structured using the PICO acronym, focusing on pregnant and postpartum women (P), prison healthcare (I), comparison to normative guidelines (C), and maternal outcomes (O). The search was conducted in December 2025 in seven databases (PubMed, Embase, Scopus, CINAHL, Web of Science, LILACS, and SciELO), using terms indexed in MeSH. Twenty-three articles were selected for synthesis. The results showed that the profile of incarcerated women is homogeneous: young, with low levels of education, predominantly Black or mixed-race, and mainly detained for drug trafficking. Despite the robust legal framework, assistance is insufficient. Studies indicate that prenatal care is frequently inadequate, with late initiation and a number of consultations below the minimum recommended in up to 41% of cases. Data from SISDEPEN reveal irregular trajectories in nursery infrastructure and a critical shortage of gynecologists in the units. This highlights the gap between the guaranteed right and the care actually provided.