Although this paper does not advocate jailing pregnant drug-abusing women, the volume of women offenders now processed through jails provides a unique opportunity to identify drug-abusing women early in their pregnancies, provide them with prenatal medical services, and facilitate their entry into drug treatment and rehabilitative programs. The need for this type of intervention strategy is apparent, and the rationale for program development well supported. The authors are aware of a few such programs for identifying and treating jailed drug-abusing pregnant women. One program is described here as an example of how such programs may originate and function through collaborative effort. On a cost-per-client basis, jail programs for pregnant drug-abusing women appear costly; however, the long-term costs to society of drug-abusing women and drug-exposed infants are much greater. Unfortunately, most local communities are unlikely to be in a position today to budget for the long-term. Consequently, if such programs are worthwhile, methods should be sought to support their development and continuance.
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