Statement of the Problem

Homelessness has been increasing steadily since 2016 in the United States and is associated with several negative health outcomes, especially noted by the public after the COVID-19 pandemic (Baggett & Kertesz, 2022). This directly correlates with the work that LSPC does because of the intersection between the criminal justice system and unhoused individuals. For example, in California alone, 70% of its homeless population is formerly incarcerated (Couloute, 2018). Another issue is that with the populations in women’s prisons in the United States, there has been a drastic increase in incarceration, up to over 700% in the last 40 years, and many of these individuals are of child-bearing age, resulting in a lot of mothers or potential mothers’ incarceration and separation from their children (From Crisis to Care: Ending the Health Harm of Women’s Prisons, 2023). There is only one remaining program in California that attempts to address the needs of pregnant incarcerated individuals or mothers and allows them to stay with their children, and that is the Community Prisoner Mother Program (CPMP) in Santa Fe Springs. The last time a significant investigation to its conditions occurred was over a decade ago (actually conducted by LSPC), with no current updates on the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s (CDCR) website (Community Prison Mother Program, n.d.).