Although this funding was approved in 1993, no money has yet been spent for these facilities. There is not a loud public voice to advocate for these women and their children. Other relatives also account for some of the places a child of an incarcerated mother is likely to go. On the other hand, the child of an incarcerated father is likely living with her mother. They are placed into a federal or state penal facility where there is often a lack of resources for even a basic physical examination, and inadequate funding for medical staff, equipment and programs.
Penal facilities have difficulty attracting and maintaining medical personnel.
Women inmates who suffer from treatable illnesses such as asthma, diabetes, sickle cell anemia, cancer, later-term miscarriages, and seizures often have little or no access to medical attention. This has resulted in death or preventable injury. It is not unusual for a non-medical staff person to be the one to first assess the nature of the inmate's illness before medical attention is sought. Mental health staff or treatment is lacking as well. In 1994, the last year when such figures were recorded, the National Institute of Corrections found that only half of those incarcerated had been given reproductive health services, including regular mammograms and pap smears.