Policies Governing and Programs Available to Teen Parents in the Juvenile Justice System.

This article examines the policies and programs available to pregnant and parenting teens within the United States juvenile justice system (JJS) by analyzing publicly accessible information from all 50 state JJS websites. The study found that most states emphasize security-related policies—particularly anti-restraint measures during pregnancy and childbirth—and healthcare policies, though fewer than one-third of states documented healthcare provisions such as prenatal care. Parenting courses were the most common supportive programs identified, yet over half of the states did not advertise such programming, and there was considerable variation in availability and target populations. The presence of policies and programs showed no statistically significant association with state-level teen pregnancy rates, although states with the highest rates were somewhat more likely to offer services. The findings highlight a notable gap between policy and supportive programming for this vulnerable group and call for improved documentation, expanded services, and federal mandates to ensure consistent protections and care for teen parents in the juvenile justice system.