Women in Transition: Experiences of Health and Health Care for Recently Incarcerated Women Living in Community Corrections Facilities

Differences in non-communicable diseases between women in prison and the general population in Brazil

Women in prison have high risk for non-communicable diseases both in relation to men in prison and in relation to women in the general population. This study documented the health disparities related to diseases among women in prison and in the general female population in Brazil. Women in prisons (WP) < 30 years old had a prevalence of hypertension (PR = 4.5; 95% CI 3.4-6.1), cardiovascular disease (PR = 4.4; 95% CI 2.4-7.9) and asthma (PR = 3.0; 95% CI 2.3-3.8) higher than general female population in Brazil in the same age group. Women in prison > 50 years old also presented asthma prevalence (PR = 4.3; 95% CI 2.9-6.3) higher than the general female population in Brazil in the same age group. These women in prison, overwhelmingly young, could be mistaken for an elderly population in Brazil. Actively responding to early disease in these women can reduce overall health costs and improve health care for this population that may have limited access to health care outside of prison.

General and reproductive healthcare experiences of formerly incarcerated women in the United States: a qualitative study

PURPOSE

The US prison population has recently reached an all-time high, with women representing the fastest growing subpopulation. Correctional health-care system in the USA remains fragmented and nonuniform in practice, particularly in women's health care, with poor transitions between incarceration and release. This study aims to examine the qualitative health-care experiences of women while incarcerated and their transition into the community health-care setting. Additionally, this study also examined the experiences of a subset of women who were pregnant while incarcerated.

DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH

After obtaining institutional review board approval, adult, English-speaking women with a history of incarceration within the past 10 years were interviewed using a semi-structured interview tool. Interview transcripts were analyzed using inductive content analysis.

FINDINGS

The authors completed 21 full interviews and identified six themes that were both the most significant and most novel: "feeling stigmatized and insignificant," "care as punishment," "delay in care," "exceptions to the rule," "fragmentation of care" and "obstetric trauma and resilience."

ORIGINALITY/VALUE

Women face numerous barriers and hardships when accessing basic and reproductive health-care services while incarcerated. This hardship is particularly challenging for women with substance use disorders. The authors were able to describe for the first time, partially through their own words, novel challenges described by women interacting with incarceration health care. Community providers should understand these barriers and challenges so as to effectively reengage women in care upon release and improve the health-care status of this historically marginalized group.

Perceived healthcare quality and contraception utilization among persons recently incarcerated

Purpose

Previously incarcerated women have specific gender and physiologic needs that are poorly addressed on community re-entry. The objective of this study is to evaluate the relationship between contraception use and perceived healthcare quality post-incarceration. Additionally, we examine the association between social determinants of health and contraception use post-incarceration.

Methods

A secondary analysis of a cross-sectional study of reproductive-aged women with a history of criminal-justice involvement in three cities (n = 383) was performed. Questions related to demographics, social determinants of health, sexual and reproductive health practices, health services use, and healthcare quality were analyzed. Bivariate analysis and logistic regression examined associations between these variables and contraception utilization among persons recently incarcerated.

Results

35% of the participants used a method to prevent pregnancy. There were no significant differences noted between contraceptive users and non-users in perceived healthcare quality. Participants who were not using a contraceptive method were more likely to lack health insurance and experience food insecurity when compared to contraceptive users.

Conclusions

Although there was no difference in perceived healthcare quality between contraceptive users and non-users, significant barriers to contraceptive access on community re-entry exist. More studies are warranted to explore the sexual and reproductive health of previously incarcerated women.

'You're setting a lot of people up for failure': what formerly incarcerated women would tell healthcare decision makers

BACKGROUND

Incarcerated women have a higher prevalence of health problems than the general population; however, little is known about their perspectives on the healthcare they receive. Here, we conducted semi-structured interviews with women who had been incarcerated (n = 63) which asked what they would tell healthcare decision-makers about their experiences of healthcare in prisons and the community post-incarceration if provided the opportunity. All participants had a history of sexual violence victimization and had at least one period of incarceration in a community corrections center in Arkansas due to the goals of the larger study from which data were drawn.

RESULTS

Four themes arose when participants were asked what they would tell people who make decisions about community healthcare: 1) the healthcare system is not working (52%; n = 33), 2) have compassion for us (27%; n = 17), 3) recognize that we have specific and unique needs (17%; n = 11), and 4) the transition from incarceration is challenging and requires more support (22%; n = 14). Three themes arose when we asked participants what they would tell people who make decisions about healthcare in prisons: 1) we had experiences of poor physical healthcare in prison (44%; n = 28), 2) more specialty care is needed in prison (49%; n = 31), and 3) healthcare providers treat women in prison poorly (37%; n = 23).

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings underscore the need for systemic changes including greater oversight of prison-based healthcare services, enhanced access to medical subspecialties in prisons, and healthcare provider training on the unique needs of incarcerated and previously incarcerated women. Polices that expand healthcare access are also likely to benefit formerly incarcerated women given the challenges they experience seeking community-based care.

Cervical Cancer Prevention Behaviors Among Criminal-Legal Involved Women from Three U.S. Cities

Background: This study aims to understand how criminal-legal involved women from three U.S. cities navigate different health resource environments to obtain cervical cancer screening and follow-up care. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of women with criminal-legal histories from Kansas City KS/MO; Oakland, CA; and Birmingham, AL. Participants completed a survey that explored influences on cervical cancer prevention. Responses from all women with/without up-to-date cervical cancer screening and women with abnormal Pap testing who did/did not obtain follow-up care were compared. Proportions and associations were tested with chi-square or analysis of variance tests. Multivariable regression was performed to identify variables independently associated with up-to-date cervical cancer screening and reported as odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: There were n = 510 participants, including n = 164 Birmingham, n = 108 Kansas City, and n = 238 Oakland women. Criminal-legal involved women in Birmingham (71.3%) and Kansas City (68.9%) were less likely to have up-to-date cervical cancer screening than women in Oakland (84.5%, p = 0.01). More women in Birmingham (14.6%) and Kansas City (16.7%) needed follow-up for abnormal Pap than women in Oakland (6.7%, p = 0.003), but there were no differences in follow-up rates. Predictors for up-to-date cervical cancer screening included access to a primary care provider (OR: 3.3, 95% CI: 1.4-7.7), health literacy (OR: 0.3, 95% CI: 0.2-0.7), and health behaviors, including avoiding tobacco (OR: 0.4, 95% CI: 0.1-0.9) and HPV vaccination (OR: 3.4, 95% CI: 1.0-10.9). Conclusions: Cervical cancer screening and follow-up varied by study site. The results suggest that patient level factors coupled with the complexity of accessing care in different health resource environments impact criminal-legal involved women's cervical cancer prevention behaviors.

Abnormal Pap Follow-Up among Criminal-Legal Involved Women in Three U.S. Cities

Criminal-legal involved women experience significant barriers to preventive cervical care, and consequently there is a higher incidence of cervical cancer in this population. The purpose of this study is to identify variables that may facilitate abnormal Pap follow-up among criminal-legal involved women living in community settings. The study included n = 510 women with criminal-legal histories, from three U.S. cities-Birmingham, AL; Kansas City, KS/MO; Oakland, CA. Participants completed a 288-item survey, with questions related to demographics, social advantages, provider communication, and reasons for missing follow-up care. There were n = 58 women who reported abnormal Pap testing, and n = 40 (69%) received follow-up care. Most women received either repeat Pap/HPV testing (n = 15, 38%), or colposcopy and/or biopsy (n = 14, 35%). Women who did not follow-up (n = 15, 26%) cited that they forgot (n = 8, 53%), were uninsured (n = 3, 20%), or were reincarcerated (n = 3, 20%). In a multivariate analysis, both having a primary care provider (OR 4.6, 95% CI 1.3-16.0) and receiving specific provider communication about follow-up (OR 3.8, 95% CI 1.1-13.2) were independent predictors for abnormal Pap follow-up. Interventions that offer linkages to providers in the community or ensure abnormal Pap care plans are communicated effectively may mitigate the disparate incidence of cervical cancer among criminal-legal involved women.

Criminal Justice-Involved Women Navigate COVID-19: Notes From the Field

In March-April, 2020, we communicated with a cohort of criminal justice-involved (CJI) women to see how they were navigating COVID-19, chronic illness, homelessness, and shelter-in-place orders in Oakland, Birmingham, and Kansas City. We report on conversations with N = 35 women (out of the cohort of 474 women) and our own observations from ongoing criminal justice involvement studies. Women reported barriers to protecting themselves given widespread unstable housing and complex health needs, though many tried to follow COVID-19 prevention recommendations. Women expressed dissatisfaction with the suspension of research activities, as the pandemic contributed to a heightened need for study incentives, such as cash, emotional support, and other resources. COVID-19 is illuminating disparities between those who can follow recommended actions to prevent infection and those who lack resources to do so. Concerted efforts are required to reduce inequities that put the 1.3 million U.S. women under criminal justice supervision at risk for infection and mortality.

Expectations and Experiences of Women Imprisoned for Drug Offending and Returning to Communities in Thailand: Understanding Women’s Pathways Into, Through, and Post-Imprisonment

Thailand places a high priority on the gender-specific contexts out of which offending arises and the differential needs of women in the criminal justice system. Despite this, Thailand has the highest female incarceration rate in South East Asia and there has been substantial growth since the 1990s. This increase has been driven by punitive changes in drug law, criminal justice policy/practice which have disproportionately impacted women. As female representation in Thailand’s prisons grows, so does the number of women who return to communities. Thus, one of the challenges facing Thai society is the efficacious re-integration of growing numbers of formally incarcerated women. However, what is known about re-entry comes almost exclusively from studies of prisoners (usually men) returning home in western societies. Re-integration does not occur in a vacuum. Supporting women post-release necessitates knowledge of their pathways to, experiences of, and journeys out of prison. Utilising in-depth interviews with (n = 80) imprisoned/formally incarcerated women and focus groups with (n = 16) correctional staff, this paper reports findings from the first comprehensive study of women’s re-integration expectations and experiences in Thailand. Findings showed that women had multifaceted and intersectional needs which directed their pathways into, during, and out of prison.

The contraceptive needs and pregnancy desires of women after incarceration: A qualitative study

OBJECTIVE

Prior qualitative research with women incarcerated at Rikers Island Jail asked women to anticipate their future contraceptive needs and pregnancy desires upon re-entering the community. We conduct this follow-up study to understand better the actual contraceptive needs and pregnancy desires experienced by women after incarceration.

STUDY DESIGN

We conducted semi-structured in-depth interviews in New York City in 2014 with 10 women incarcerated within the past three years. We coded transcripts using an iterative process, identified emerging themes, and stopped recruitment after reaching thematic saturation.

RESULTS

Most participants desired to wait to become pregnant until they had stable housing, income, and employment. A few faced systemic barriers to obtaining contraception, including the process of re-applying for insurance and obtaining medical appointments. For many, incarceration disrupted their use of contraception, insurance status, and relationship with trusted medical providers. Most women lacked trust in the new health professionals they encountered after incarceration.

CONCLUSIONS

Incarceration disrupted medical care in general, and contraceptive care in particular. Assistance should be provided to re-apply for insurance, make appointments, and support women to see trusted health professionals.

IMPLICATIONS

Incarceration further disenfranchises an already marginalized community through disrupting access to medical care and constrains women's reproductive autonomy long after return to the community.