Chapter 3 – Health Care Operations

3.1.15 Access to Contraceptive and Family Planning Services

• Policy

  • California Correctional Health Care Services (CCHCS) shall provide female patients capable of becoming pregnant their choice of birth control methods and emergency contraception, approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration, unless medically contraindicated. CCHCS shall also provide nonprescription birth control methods, without the requirement of seeing a licensed health care provider.

  • CCHCS licensed health care providers trained on reproductive health and family planning services, based on their residency and board certification, shall provide nondirective, unbiased, and non-coercive prescription contraceptive services and contraceptive counseling.

• Purpose

  • To ensure female patients capable of becoming pregnant have access to family planning services, contraceptive counseling, and the birth control method of their choice.

• Responsibility

  • The Chief Executive Officer, or designee, is responsible for the implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of this policy.

• Local Operating Procedure

  • Central California Women’s Facility, California Institution for Women, and Folsom Women’s Facility shall maintain a Local Operating Procedure (LOP) to implement the statewide policy.  The elements of the LOP shall include, but not be limited to:

  • Availability of family planning services including contraceptive counseling services.

  • Availability of women’s health education.

  • Pre-parole counseling between 60-180 days prior to scheduled release.

  • Patient’s choice of birth control.

• References

• California Penal Code, Part 3, Title 2, Chapter 3, Section 3408

• California Penal Code, Part 3, Title 2, Chapter 3, Section 3409

• Revision History

  • Effective: 07/2017
    Revised: 08/2021