Imprisonment and women's health: concerns about gender sensitivity, human rights and public health

Bergh, B.J. van den; Gatherer, Alex; Fraser, Andrew; Møller, Lars

doi:10.2471/blt.10.082842

Cited by 93 publications

(99 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…Services in prisons in Western high-income countries are still not equivalent to those in the community and reports suggest that they do not yet meet the mental health needs of the prisoners [11]. Neglected health needs of prison inmates give rise to human rights concerns [12]. …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence Rates of Mental Disorders in Chilean Prisons

et al. 2013

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ObjectiveHigh rates of mental disorders have been reported for prison populations worldwide, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The present study aimed to establish prevalence rates of mental disorders in Chilean prisoners.MethodA nationwide random sample of 1008 prisoners was assessed in 7 penal institutions throughout Chile. Twelve-month prevalence rates were established using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) and compared to the prevalence rates previously published for the general population.ResultsPrevalence rates were 12.2% (95% CI, 10.2-14.1) for any substance use disorder, 8.3% (6.6-10.0) for anxiety disorders, 8.1% (6.5-9.8) for affective disorders, 5.7% (4.4-7.1) for intermittent explosive disorders, 2.2% (1.4-3.2) for ADHD of the adult, and 0.8% (0.3-1.3) for non-affective psychoses. Significantly higher prevalence rates among prisoners as compared to the general population in Chile were seen for major depression (6.1% vs. 3.7% males, Z=2.58, p<0.05) and illicit drug use (3.3% vs. 0.6% males with drug abuse, Z=2.04, p<0.05; 2.6% vs. 0.1% females with drug abuse, Z=5.36, p<0.001; 3.4% vs. 1.1% males with drug dependence, Z=3.70; p<0.001). Dysthymia (6.5% vs. 15.6%, Z=-2.39, p<0.05), simple (3.3% vs. 11.5%, Z=-3.13, p<0.001) and social phobias (3.9% vs. 9.7%, Z=2.38, p<0.05) were significantly less frequent in the female prison population than in the general population. One-year prevalence rates of alcohol abuse (2.3% vs. 3.9%; Z=-2.04; p<0.05) and dependence (2.7% vs. 8.2%; Z=-5.24; p<0.001) were less prevalent in the male prison population than in the general population.ConclusionsService provision for prison populations in Chile should acknowledge high rates of depression and illicit drug use. Overall prevalence rates are lower than reported in other LMICs. Previous research in prison populations in LMICs might have overestimated prevalence rates of mental disorders.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence Rates of Mental Disorders in Chilean Prisons

et al. 2013

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“…In this context, results demonstrate that in almost all questionnaires, women generally reported a lower level of competences than men. This might be explained through consideration of the disadvantaged background women who enter prison often come from [24]. Additionally, there is evidence that a high number of incarcerated women have experienced sexual and physical abuse prior to their detention and therefore are at higher risk to experience physical problems as for example be infected with sexually transmitted diseases [25].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differences between Female and Male Inmates in Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) in Austria: Do We Need Treatment Programs Specific to the Needs of Females in AAT?

Stetina

Krouzecky

Emmett

et al. 2020

Animals

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With the growth of female inmates worldwide, research regarding specific treatment of these has become more important. Although new programs have been started, the lack of scientific results is startling. The goal of the current study was to identify differences between participants from the men’s and women’s section in a specialized prison for criminal offenders suffering from substance dependence syndrome regarding the effects of dog-assisted group therapy. Therefore, 81 incarcerated participants (50 male, 31 female) took part in a dog-assisted group therapy targeting socio-emotional competencies. Self-report questionnaires to measure self-concept (SDQ-III), emotional status (EMI-B) and emotional competencies (SEE) were employed. Statistical analysis included General Linear Model (GLM) procedures and η2 as concurrent effect size measure. Results demonstrate that participants from the women’s ward tend to benefit significantly less from the dog-assisted group therapy in most measured areas than men, especially in terms of their emotional status (e.g., aggressiveness) and emotional competencies (e.g., emotion regulation). Treatment programs specific to the needs of women might be a future challenge for practitioners and researchers in AAT.

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“…These seemingly fragile health conditions of the women continue to draw attention to the need for politicians, prison management, health advocates, and prison staff to invest in programs and measures focused on improvements in female inmates’ health. Bergh et al [40] mentioned the need to change criminal justice systems, considering the failures in gender sensitivity. They highlight 4 crucial steps for action that we would also like to underline since they synthesize some of the most important changes, considered in the literature, for health improvements of women prisoners: imprisonment of women should be considered only when all other alternatives are unavailable or unsuitable; all staff working with women prisoners should have followed gender sensitivity training to raise awareness of and improve response to these gender-related issues; the European Prison Rules are of vital importance, but they need a revision to guarantee the provision of services to meet women prisoners’ specific needs; health services for women in prison should be individualized as far as possible to meet their specific expressed needs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Self-Reports of Health before and during Imprisonment in Female Inmates

Alves¹,

Maia²

2017

Port J Public Health

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The health of female inmates has been described as more vulnerable than that of detained male and the overall female population. The purpose of this study is to describe health behaviors, history of diseases, health complaints, and health status of 232 incarcerated women. The women reported risk behaviors and unexpected health surveillance before their imprisonment. In prison, their tobacco use increased, drug consumption decreased and high rates of diseases, use of medicines, health complaints, and poor health status were found. The women’s perceptions of their current health, compared with the time period before prison, revealed different types of impact, with one-third reporting health improvements. These data suggest that women prisoners’ health and the prison’s impact on their health must be better studied in order to enhance the health intervention programs during imprisonment.

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Imprisonment and women's health: concerns about gender sensitivity, human rights and public health

Cited by 93 publications

References 3 publications

Prevalence Rates of Mental Disorders in Chilean Prisons

Prevalence Rates of Mental Disorders in Chilean Prisons

Differences between Female and Male Inmates in Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) in Austria: Do We Need Treatment Programs Specific to the Needs of Females in AAT?

Self-Reports of Health before and during Imprisonment in Female Inmates

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