Women’s Health in Queensland Prisons

Abstract

Internationally, best practice for prison health care recommends transferring health service provision from corrections to health authorities. Although it is expected that this change will result in improved health care, there is little evidence of evaluation. This article used qualitative interviews with health service providers to gain insight into the health needs of women's prisons in Queensland, Australia, both prior to and after the transition in health care service provision. We found that service providers identified that problems persisted regardless of service provider and that improvement required increased resources and more fundamental structural changes within prison environments.

Health literacy strengths and challenges of people in New South Wales prisons: a cross-sectional survey using the Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ)

“…Furthermore, females are placed in a male-dominated criminal justice system [ 70 ] which can restrict access to programs and access to specific women’s health services [ 67 – 69 ]. Therefore, our findings highlight the need for targeted policies and services for females in prison as addressed in the literature [ 6 , 65 , 66 , 69 , 71 ]. However, further research is needed to investigate the specific health literacy challenges of females and males in prison.…”

“…Females in prison are some of the most vulnerable members of society. They are disconnected from health care services and prevention information and access [ 65 ], have a higher burden of chronic medical conditions [ 6 ] and significant social deprivation, and abuse (i.e., substance and physical) and trauma histories [ 66 – 69 ]. Furthermore, females are placed in a male-dominated criminal justice system [ 70 ] which can restrict access to programs and access to specific women’s health services [ 67 – 69 ].…”