Healthcare In Prisons

How does healthcare in prison stack up?

From Imprisoned Women’s Concepts of Health and Illness: The Implications for policy on Patient

I feel as though, from reading this article and discussing healthcare with the women at ICIW, women understand that they need better health care! It is just the matter of how to really incorporate it and highlighting it to others who have the power to help, but do not realize that this is serious issue. Below I have taken several excerpts from the text in order to prove that there are several different ways to help several different problems that arise within the women’s prison system.

One thing I have found within the article is there is a lack of education for women. There is no way for them to learn or expand their knowledge in regards to their own healthcare or in regards to “street” knowledge in light of how to live a healthy lifestyle. For example, within the text a woman’s response about health care was, “The drug itself does nothing. It’s the way you neglect yourself because you’re taking drugs.’’ This statement clearly shows that there needs to be better education- drugs do cause harm to one’s body, thoughts, and emotions. Women NEED to gain this knowledge in order to be successful when they reenter into society otherwise this is just another reason why women relapse and end up returning to the prison system.

However, I did notice within this statement, “while women took a positive view of health, seeing it as a resource not just an absence of disease, they were still able to accurately identify the key health problems facing women prisoners: drug addiction, mental health problems, and self-harm,” that they Do understand they need help. In fact they are asking for it in multiple ways without actually verbally stating that they want it (and my hypothesis is that they do not want to ask because they do not want to feel beneath anyone or feel like they are weak). So, maybe if we offer help and flat out ask what they need for healthcare in light of specific issues that they find to be the most important, then we could integrate programs that are effective- not at waste of money!!

Prison Healthcare

“Offenders are more likely to have learning disabilities, experience mental health problems, or have problems with drugs and alcohol, so many of the roles in prison healthcare focus on addressing these issues. With 72 percent of male and 70 per cent of female prisoners suffering from two or more mental disorders, some of the most challenging and rewarding roles in mental health nursing and psychiatry are in prison health. Of women sent to prison, almost 40 per cent say they have attempted suicide, so therapists and counselors and are also needed to help people at what can be a very low time in their life.”…I feel like this is almost a duh statement because this is stuff that is published everywhere, but no one does anything about it! Again, as I feel like I am repeating myself, in order to prevent these high percentages or issues with women in prison we need better rehabilitation programs that offer lifestyle, “street,” tactics that encourage and educate women to become better individuals because many DO need the help- it is not common sense for everyone especially when individuals have been incarcerated because they have been left out of society’s loop for a long duration of time… HELP WOMEN IN PRISON!

Hidden in Hell: Women in Prison

“Typically related to poverty, addiction, or prolonged abuse by men, women prisoners are disproportionately unhealthy to begin with. They have higher rates of HIV infection than all prisoners, who are collectively five times more likely to have AIDS than the general U.S. population. As many as 60 percent are infected with the hepatitis C virus. In defense of prison health providers, CMS spokesman Ken Fields says treating them is no simple matter, as incarceration is often "the first regular access prisoners have had to health care."”…..This was crazy to read! And it makes me feel like, once again, nothing is being done to help them rehabilitate and enter back into society as a bettered individual!

“Incarceration, however, can "increase the risk of infection, sexual assault, and improper medical care, or contribute to post-traumatic stress, disorder," according to the American Journal of Public Health. This statement transcends public and privately run facilities alike. Rape of women prisoners is rampant and often occurs with impunity. As many as one in four women have been raped in some facilities, according to the national organization Stop Prisoner Rape. Male prison employees routinely abuse their authority by exchanging "privileges" — such as food, basic hygiene products, or time with visiting family — for sex.”…..I found this to be completely disgusting that there is rape by the prison guards! It got me wondering if it happens at ICIW. I mean I could see it happening due to there being creep male prison guards(for instance that man that was showing us the lock-down units-EWW!), but as chatty, cliquey, and gossipy the women are I do not see the men getting away with it. It is totally outrageous that this shit happens!! I mean seriously men would stoop that low!? Ha that is a stupid question…Yet, just another reason why women’s prisons need to be taken care of in a much better way-it could avoid soooo many things down the road and could even prevent women from entering the prison system in the first place.

Women of the World

• We (the U.S.) have the highest incidence and deaths from breast cancer per 100,000 women (2000-2004), yet we do not have sufficient health in women’s prisions?
• There are up to 700,000 estimated rapes that occur in the USA each year, yet we do not find this to be important (meaning: treating the aftermath) outside and inside women’s prisons?
• We (the U.S.) the largest cosmetic market (in 2007), yet we do not teach health beauty to women in or outside of prison?

As I found these stats looking through the text, it almost angered me. I noticed so much we are not doing for women of today in not only the U.S., but throughout the entire world! The three most shocking stats that I found to be the most important to our prison studies are listed above. This shocked me because I felt like if there are women in prison, they are obviously there for a reason. So, why not help them to be better people when released back into society? These are obvious issues (that could be prevented) if there was more education about bettering oneself for not only society, but for them, their families, and their future. For example, if there was a better health care system within the prisons women could learn how to correctly perform personal breast exams to make sure, if they do find a lump, they catch it in early stages, women could learn ways to protect themselves from assault if caught in a situation where rape or abuse could occur, or women could learn how to better take care of themselves in which they would learn how to be a healthy individual and to not self sooth because they are not how they want to look or not the person they want to be. These are very simple things that could be incorporated and it could do an immense about of help to women across the country or even around the world!....Ugh it just frustrates me that there is no help sometimes for the individuals who truly need it, want it, and are thankful for it.