Table 3.
Characteristics of included publications
| Study characteristics | No of publications | Reference |
| Publication date (2010–2022) | 35 | 27–61 |
| OECD Country (M&C location) |
20 | 27 28 32 33 35–37 39–43 45 48–50 52 53 55 |
| USA | 10 | 37–43 50 53 |
| France | 5 | 33 36 48 49 55 |
| UK | 2 | 27 28 |
| Australia | 1 | 35 |
| Chile | 1 | 52 |
| Finland | 1 | 32 |
| Non-OECD country | 15 | 29–31 34 44 46 47 51 54 56–61 |
| Brazil | 5 | 30 31 44 46 47 |
| Argentina | 2 | 56 58 |
| Cameroon | 1 | 54 |
| Ethiopia | 1 | 51 |
| India | 1 | 61 |
| Iran | 1 | 29 |
| Malawi | 1 | 59 |
| Mozambique | 1 | 57 |
| South Africa | 1 | 34 |
| Zimbabwe | 1 | 60 |
| Language | ||
| English | 28 | 27–29 32 34 35 37–51 53–55 58–61 |
| French | 2 | 33 36 |
| Portuguese | 3 | 30 31 57 |
| Spanish | 2 | 52 56 |
| Study design | ||
| Qualitative | 16 | 29 31 34 39 45 46 48–51 53–55 57 59 60 |
| Quantitative | 16 | 27 28 33 36–38 40–44 47 52 56 58 61 |
| Mixed methods | 3 | 30 32 35 |
| Study population | ||
| Mothers with children living in custody | 19 | 28 29 32–34 37 40 43–45 47 50 51 53 54 56 59–61 |
| Mothers with children living in custody and pregnant women | 12 | 30 35 38 39 41 46 48 49 52 55 57 58 |
| Children living in custody | 1 | 36 |
| Senior correctional stakeholders (commissioner of prison farms, senior correctional management staff, senior health officials, prison health staff, officers in charge) | 2 | 42 59 |
| Correctional staff directly involved in the female section of the prison | 4 | 32 54 59 60 |
| Representatives from a non-governmental organisation involved in prisons | 2 | 54 60 |
| Participants | ||
| Total participants | N=2168 | 27–61 |
| Total mothers | N=1101 | 27–30 32–35 37 39–57 59 60 |
| Total pregnant women | N=229 | 30 38 46 48 52 55 57 |
| Mothers and children (data not separated) | N=47 | 30 31 |
| Total children | N=699 | 28 29 32 33 36 37 40 42 44 45 48–52 55–57 61 |
| Other (correctional staff) | N=122 | 31 32 35 54 59 60 |
| Participants’ age (years) | ||
| Women’s age range | 17–46 | 27–30 33 34 36–57 |
| Women’s age NR | 31 32 35 55 59 61 | |
| Children’s age range | 0–17 | 28–30 34 36 37 40–42 44 45 48 49 51 52 55–57 61 |
| Children’s age NR | 27 31 32 35 38 39 43 46 47 50 53 54 59 60 | |
| Setting | ||
| Women and children are housed in separate units within a correctional centre | 21 | 28–32 34–37 39 41 42 45 46 48–51 53 55 56 |
| Women and children are housed units outside the correctional centre | 1 | 47 |
| Women and children are housed with the general prison population | 5 | 54 57 59–61 |
| NR | 7 | 27 33 38 40 43 44 52 |
M&Cs, mothers and children’s units; NR, not reported; OECD, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.