Letters sent to a federal judge in May claimed women at an all-women state prison were not receiving adequate maternal healthcare. The letters mentioned stories of miscarriages, poor diets and a woman giving birth alone in her cell.

The Arizona Department of Corrections is under scrutiny for not providing adequate health and dental care to inmates.

The letters stated women who were pregnant only received an extra peanut butter sandwich and a carton of milk each day. Corizon, the department's medical care contractor, did not provide adequate hygiene supplies to help with postpartum bleeding, according to the letters.

But controversial care for women incarcerated at Perryville is nothing new.

Last year, following a public outcry, the department promised to change its policy on the minimum number of sanitary pads inmates receive each month. It said it would triple the number of pads and/or tampons allocated each month, going from 12 to 36.

And at least one other woman has given birth alone in her cell, according to Arizona Republic archives.

Baby born in cell in 1988

Dena Dugan, 21, gave birth in her cell with the help of a corrections officer in 1988, according to a report by The Republic. However, her pregnancy was not detected when she entered the prison.

Dugan was not given a pregnancy test after she told a nurse she may be pregnant, according to corrections staff at the time. A nurse did examine her, but was not able to detect a fetal heartbeat with a stethoscope.

On the day that Dugan gave birth, an officer asked a medical staff member to check on her at about 8:30 a.m., reporting that she was experiencing cramps. However, the male nurse did not go to her cell until after the baby was born.

"It turned out to be the wrong judgement call, but that's always hindsight," the former Department of Corrections spokesman Michael Arra said at the time.

According to Arra, guards checked on the woman every 15 minutes until one found her sitting on a toilet at the beginning of the delivery. A guard then went to get a nurse.

More recent case

In the more recent instance, a woman gave birth to her child alone in her cell three days after she reported her water broke. When she reported her water broke, she was seen by medical staff but sent back to her cell, according to a letter sent to Arizona Department of Corrections officials in recent months.

The woman was admitted into the Department of Corrections at seven months pregnant and diagnosed with schizophrenia.

"She told us that she started screaming and banging on her cell door, in hopes of getting the night officer's attention, and that other women in cells around her started similarly screaming and banging on their doors to help her," according to the letter.

According to the letter, the woman sat on the toilet and delivered the baby into her hands. Witnesses told the Prison Law Office it took an officer 10 to 15 minutes to come to the cell. She was sent to the hospital, and she and the baby were reported healthy.

The site medical director at the prison said a new plan would be put into place to help create preventative measures after the incident, according to a Prison Law Office letter.

Have thoughts about Arizona’s legal system? Reach criminal justice reporter Lauren Castle at Lauren.Castle@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter: @Lauren_Castle.