Abstract
Between 1985 and 1996, the U.S. rate of incarcerated women rose disproportionate to men. There was a two-fold increase of incarcerated men (from 700,000 to 1,437,000) as compared to a three-fold increase of incarcerated women (40,500 to 113,100) (U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1998). According to the most recent document statistics (Harrison & Beck, 2004), incarcerated women's (3.5%) numbers increased 1.5% more than their male (2%) counterparts. An even closer examination of the ethnic and racial subgroups of women reveals that African American women are over represented within the state and federal correctional systems. African American females as compared to Latinas are twice as likely (84/100,000) and are five times more likely than their White counterparts (38/100,000) to be imprisoned (Harrison & Beck, 2004). Although the absolute numbers of women in contrast to men within the federal and state correctional systems are less, there continues to be a disproportionate and steady rise in the percentage of women inmates and especially African American women inmates.
Unfortunately, the correctional system that was developed by and for men has paid limited attention and has allocated fewer human and physical resources to meet the diverse social, environmental, and health needs of women inmates (Belknap, 1996). Hence, the purpose of this pilot study is begin to systematically examine not only the unique social, environmental, and health needs of women inmates but also to examine the immediate and long term impact of the women's confinement on their children, especially their adolescent daughters. The results of this pilot will be used to guide the development of an intergenerational health promotion intervention for women inmates' and their adolescent daughters.
Parke and colleagues (Park, Clark, & Stewart, 2002) contend that a mother's incarceration more than a father's is not a discrete event in time and place but rather is a dynamic process that has the potential to negatively impact their children, especially their adolescent daughter's health and wellbeing. Cunningham (2003) further speculates that maternal incarceration is more difficult for adolescent girls given the increased identification with the same-gender parent as a role model.
The specific aims of this project are to:
- Describe women inmates' physical and mental health concerns.
- Describe women inmates' acute and chronic physical health problems.
- Describe women inmates' mental health (depression, substance use patterns, abuse, & stress).
- Describe women inmates' perceptions of how the nature and quality of their relationships (family, peer, and intimate partners) have affected their physical and mental health.
- Describe women inmates' perceptions, beliefs, and attitudes about their experiences with health inequities (perceptions of being treated differently).
- Describe women inmates' experiences with (isms) racism, discrimination, sexism, oppression and their perceptions of how these experiences have affected their experiences with physical and mental health inequities.
- Describe women inmates' perception of the affect of their confinement (timing and length) on their adolescent daughter's physical and mental health.
- Explore with women inmates their ideas, thoughts, and perceptions about the feasibility of a researcher contacting, talking with, and involving their daughter's in a health promotion program.
A subsidiary specific aim of this project is to:
Describe women inmates' perceptions, beliefs, attitudes and experiences about the influences of their ethnic heritage, social position, education, and environmental contexts (community, jail) on their past and current experience with physical and mental health inequities.
A mixed-method cross-sectional study that includes a focus group interviews with a sample of 50 ethnically diverse women (30 African Americans, 10 Latinas, and 10 White women) inmates and a structured group survey interviews with a sample of 200 ethnically diverse women (100 African Americans, 50 Latinas, and 50 White women) inmates currently awaiting trial, sentencing, or serving time at Janet S. York Correctional Institute, Niantic, Ct. The long-term goal is to use the data generated from the focus group interviews and the structured group survey interviews to submit an NIH R21 proposal to develop a gender and ethnic responsive health promotion program for African American women inmates and their adolescent daughters.
|
|
|
