Women in the Prison System, Essay Example

Introduction

Women who are incarcerated for any type of offense face a number of critical health issues that require further examination and focus in order to determine the best possible means of managing the potential outcomes that may occur. Women within the prison system require a number of support methods that will enable them to manage their lives during these periods and ultimately prepare them for the outside world if they are released in the future. Regardless of their fate, women in prison require healthcare services in the same manner as other women who are not incarcerated, and this requires expert knowledge and resources that are available to female inmates in order to manage their health issues effectively.

Women in prison should have opportunities to receive healthcare treatment as needed to address specific health concerns that impact their quality of life within the prison system. It is important to identify areas where there are significant factors that are unmet within this population and to be cognizant of the different areas where there are opportunities to address these needs effectively and without delays. The following discussion will address women in the prison system in greater detail and will emphasize the significance of developing different approaches to address healthcare issues for women in this environment in order to manage their quality of life on a consistent basis.

Body

Many women who are part of the prison system face a high level of neglect and a lack of understanding of their specific needs within the prison system. It is important to identify the lack of support and guidance that impact many women in the prison system, particularly as they experience a variety of health challenges that may impact their daily living in different ways. In many ways, these women are neglected throughout their time in prison, thereby creating a significant lapse in resources and care that influence how their health and their general quality of life is managed (Aday & Krabill, 2011). Many women in prison not only face difficulties from a physical standpoint, but also face significant mental, emotional, and psychological challenges that impact their time in prison and the experiences that they endure (Aday & Krabill, 2011). As a result, it is necessary to develop new approaches to manage their needs and to provide the healthcare resources that are required to meet expectations in treating these individuals with respect while in the prison environment.

Women experience many difficulties in prison that require the support and guidance of a group of providers who are able to provide effective knowledge and experience to impact their lives in a positive manner (Johnson et.al, 2014). Many women experience co-occurring disorders, such as substance abuse and mental health conditions that require continuous treatment, and when this is not the case, they may experience difficulties that further promote a decline in quality of life (Johnson et.al, 2014). There must be a greater understanding of the prison environment for these women and to determine what is required to treat co-occurring disorders effectively in order to reduce health-related and other risks (Johnson et.al, 2014). There must be a greater focus on the development of practice methods and policies that will have a significant impact on women in prison in order to be successful in treating their needs in a consistent manner (Johnson et.al, 2014). Many issues may arise for women who experience co-occurring disorders, including concerns regarding personal relationships, emotional support, and other needs (Johnson et.al, 2014). This is critical in the development of a program for female prisoners that will have a positive and lasting impact on their lives, in spite of their incarceration (Johnson et.al, 2014). It is important to demonstrate the value of different provider programs that will have a lasting impact on outcomes and that will demonstrate an opportunity to examine the different areas where prison support for women will increase the quality of life for these women and also reduce their health risks throughout their terms.

For women in prison who experience mental health concerns, it is important to address some of the findings that impact incarcerated women in different ways. To be specific, “Symptomatic inmates can impair the safe and efficient operation of a correctional facility, and the correctional environment can exacerbate symptoms of mental disorders. Incarcerated persons, even those who do not have a mental disorder, experience significant stress. Separation from family and social supports, significant limitations on privacy, fear of assault, and boredom are some of the common stressors in prison” (Appelbaum, Hickey, & Packer, 2014, p. 1344). In this context, it is important to demonstrate the value of developing new perspectives regarding the care and treatment of incarcerated prisoners, and in particular, women, so that they are able to manage their health more effectively and with a greater emphasis on health management and improvements (Appelbaum et.al, 2014). Without a specific strategy in place, it is likely that there will be a significant set of disparities among prisoners, and this reflects a need to better understand the dynamics of the prison environment and the stressors that impact women in these settings. Therefore, a subsequent mental health strategy must be identified that will positively impact incarcerated women who otherwise would experience significant difficulties that would go unaddressed for lengthy periods of time. It is important to identify the specific factors that will impact female prisoners at the highest possible level and that will demonstrate a means of recognizing what female prisoners require in order to maintain their health and to rehabilitate their lives in different ways. This requires an examination of the providers who are available to manage the needs of these women and to determine what steps are required to ensure that women receive the best possible care and treatment under the circumstances.

The continued development of programs to support unmet needs for female prisoners requires a group of experts who are able to identify these needs effectively and without significant delays in care and treatment. Female prisoners require a specialized set of strategies because of the difficulties that they experience; therefore, they must be able to demonstrate a means of impacting individual women within the prison system at a high level to improve their effectiveness and contributions to society if they are released. Female prisoners must be evaluated on a continuous basis and must be provided with an environment where they are able to manage their issues more effectively and consistently, and this is only achieved when a strong support system is in place (Sheehan, McIvor, & Trotter, 2013). It requires an examination of the key principles that impact female prisoners and their health during incarceration in order to be effective in treating these individuals and their specific health needs on a continuous basis in order to make a difference in their lives. When the professional staff at the prison site is able to work collaboratively with prisoners regarding their needs, this enables them to be more effective in the identification of different health issues and limitations that may impact the lives of female prisoners and to develop strategies that will positively impact their needs with the intent to improve their quality of life.

For women within the prison system, their unmet needs are often ignored; therefore, they must be able to receive support and guidance regarding any differences that may impact their status and overall ability to manage their health. When problems arise, it is often difficult for many of these women to experience different types of situations that will positively impact their lives; therefore, they must be able to recognize the value of working collaboratively with prison staff who are available to serve and to provide the resources that are necessary to improve their quality of life. Under these circumstances, it is necessary to develop an effective set of approaches that will impact the lives of these prisoners and that will enable their treatment strategies to be addressed more consistently in order to be effective in this area. This process will impact how individuals operate and determine what is required to ensure that there are sufficient opportunities to support female prisoners within the system, one step at a time.

Conclusion

Women who face prison for any reason are subject to a number of highly specific limitations that require an examination of the needs that go unmet within this type of environment. It is important for those working within female prisoners to recognize some of these limitations and to take the steps that are required to meet the needs of this population in order to prevent neglect or other situations where female prisoners may experience physical, mental, emotional, and psychological consequences that are difficult to manage or overcome without assistance from prison personnel. It is necessary for female prisoners to receive some degree of support that will impact their overall quality of life and the continued development of a program that will effectively meet the needs of these individuals, one step at a time. This reflects an opportunity to examine the different constructs of health-based programming for female prisoners with the intent to improve their lives in different ways.

The expertise of nurses and other providers must be examined as part of a larger framework for this process and must offer a means of supporting new protocols to support female prisoners and must take a number of factors into account, including but not limited to the unmet needs of this population, along with the ability to communicate regarding issues of importance to these women. These tools will aim to impact the lives of these women in different ways and will demonstrate a need to better understand the dynamics of these situations in an effective manner.

References

Aday, R. H., & Krabill, J. J. (2011). Women aging in prison: A neglected population in the correctional system. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers.

Appelbaum, K. L., Hickey, J. M., & Packer, I. (2014). The role of correctional officers in multidisciplinary mental health care in prisons.

Johnson, J. E., Schonbrun, Y. C., Peabody, M. E., Shefner, R. T., Fernandes, K. M., Rosen, R. K., & Zlotnick, C. (2014). Provider experiences with prison care and aftercare for women with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders: Treatment, resource, and systems integration challenges. The journal of behavioral health services & research, 1-20.

Sheehan, R., McIvor, G., & Trotter, C. (Eds.). (2013). What works with women offenders. Willan.