Women's Health

Barbara Zaitzow

In the past decade, the number of women inmates in U.S. correctional institutions and the average length of their sentences have increased dramatically. At the same time, there has been an influx of ill and generally unhealthy women into these institutions. These women often have different treatment needs and problems than their male counterparts. In a prison system designed primarily for men, women's health needs are often not addressed by prison policies, programs, and procedures. Medical issues that relate to women's reproductive health and to the psychosocial issues that surround the imprisonment of single female heads of households are often overlooked. Women in prison complain of the lack of regular gynecological and breast exams and argue that their medical concerns are often dismissed as exaggerated. Adequate provision of medical care is one of the most pressing problems facing women prisoners. A review of existing studies on health care services for ...

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