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Relationship Between Crime And Gender
Health care in prison paper
Health care in prison paper
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Millions of women in the United States are incarcerated due to the crimes many of them committed. There are roughly 2.2 million people in the U.S. prison system most of whom are men, but with a rapidly increasing female population (Wolfe). Women in prison usually have different problems than a male figure going to prison because of their sex. Many of these women deserve to be in prison because they have broken the law, and yes prison is not supposed to be a fun place for anyone who has broken the law. However, the abuse and the cruel punishment that many women go through while incarcerated is absolutely not right and unfair to all women. Women incarcerated are affected in so many different ways than men in prison such as, women being pregnant, horrible health conditions, and sexual abuse from guards in prison. Every day many women enter the jail system pregnant or with children already at home (Wolfe). While pregnant women are in jail there are not treated any different …show more content…
In prison, access to treatment is limited, the care that the inmates get is pedestrian, and most of the time prison medical professionals are not very skilled. “In 2002 approximately 37% of state and prisons inmates reported having a current medical condition. The most common medical conditions reported were arthritis (13%), hypertension, or more commonly known as high blood pressure (11%), asthma (10%), heart difficulties (6%) and kidney difficulties (4%). 34% of inmates also reported having some kind of physical impairment, including learning disabilities, speech impediments, hearing impairment or loss, vision or mobility impairment or loss” (Conroy). Women in prison are most likely to report having a type of cancer in prison. The most common types of cancer for women were cervical cancer, ovarian cancer and breast cancer, while for men the most common types were skin cancer, lung cancer, testicular cancer and colon cancer
The next big show that everyone seems to be talking about nowadays is “Orange is the new black.” A show that is centered on what citizens think a day in the life in a women’s prison is. But in all reality a women’s prison isn’t something to joke around about. Prison is defined as a correctional facility designed for confinement that is primarily ran by the state. Women serve their sentences in women’s prisons where men serve theirs in men’s prisons. According to Ashley Dugger an online introduction to criminal justice professor there is about 4,500 prisons in the United States alone. Of those 4,500 only 170 of them are solely women’s prisons.
Women in Prison. Washington, D.C.: Bureau of Justice Statistics Varnam, Steve. Our prisons are a crime (reforming the prison system). Editorial. Christianity Today 21 June 1993
In 2012, the total number of inmates incarcerated in the state and federal correctional system for was 1,571,013, of which 108,866 of those inmates were females. In the last two decades, until 2009, women were the fastest growing population within the state and federal correctional institutions. Since 2009, the number of inmates incarcerated in state and federal correctional facilities has slowly declined mainly due to public policy changes in both state and federal laws. California accounted for fifty one percent of the decrease in the overall population due to the Public Safety Realignment policy that mandated a decrease in the inmate population to alleviate overcrowding; this led to a 25.5 percent decrease in the female population in California alone. (Carson & Golinelli, 2013)
Prisons exist in this country as a means to administer retributive justice for those that break the laws in our society or to state it simply prisons punish criminals that are to receive a sentence of incarceration for more than one year. There are two main sub-cultures within the walls of prison the sub-culture of the Department of Corrections (which consists of the corrections officer, administrators, and all of the staff that work at the prison and go home at the end of their day) and the actual prisoners themselves. As you can imagine these two sub-cultures are dualistic in nature and this makes for a very stressful environment for both sides of the fence. While in prison, the inmates experience the same conditions as described in the previous
Statistically, the male population in jail/prisons are much higher than the female population. This is not necessarily because females are less inclined to criminal tendencies than males, but more because society views them more as victims and/or innocent. (Men Sentenced To Long…2012 p.2) From the time women are small until they grow up, they are told that they are fragile, kind, they should not curse, or fight, etc. There are countless sexist roles and behaviors that are pushed on women, and so society views women along side the typical view. In a statistical graph by the of Bureau of Justice Statistics states that the number of people incarcerated per 100,000 people of that sex is as follows: 126 women and 1,352 males. (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2010. p.1) That is an incredible difference in the number of incarcerated individuals per jail/prison. Societal view with women is becoming more level headed today, and sentencing disparity on the gender platform is coming to a more equal level; however, it is still a long way away from being equal. According to an article in the Huffington
The U.S is only 5% of the world’s population and houses a quarter of its prison inmates; well over 2 million people. In the past decade the war on drugs has filled many state and federal prisons with a numerous amount of inmates. Building new prisons is not the answer to tackling the prison overcrowding dilemma. The U.S doesn’t have the money due to economic strains, and it will not solve this issue head on as needed. “California may be forced to release up to 33,000 prisoners by 2013” (Shapiro & Wizner, 2011, p.1.). Some women and men do not belong in prison, and should be given other opportunities to sought help. Prison overcrowding is a growing concern in the U.S today. There are many different alternatives to end prison overcrowding versus releasing them into the community. For example by launching a parole support group or treatment or rehabilitation programs for inmates as well as ex-offenders, house arrest or probation are other routes to explore.
To Health Service In Correctional Evironments: Inmates Health Care Measurement, Satisfaction and Access In Prisons.” Howard Journal of Criminal Justice 50.3. (2011): 262-274. Academic Search Complete. Web. 5 May 2014.
Plata revealed, overcrowding in many correctional facilities raises serious health concerns, even more on account of overstretched health services than the potential for infectious disease outbreaks” (Dumont et al.). A majority of the incarcerated comes from low-income communities where the population is predominantly nonwhite. These inmates are more likely to be underserved for medical issues. Due to this, the mental and physical health of inmates is significantly worse than that of the general public. HIV rates are approximately five times higher in prisons than in the general population. Many of the inmates infected with HIV are at risk for hepatitis C due to injection of substances. These prisoners are nine to ten times more likely than non-incarcerated people to get hepatitis C virus (HCV). Many prisoners that are infected with both HIV and HCV are more likely to also have other diseases than people infected solely with HIV. Early syphilis was found to be about 1000 times more prevalent in incarcerated women than women in the general public. Women’s predominance in prostitution also increases their risk for infectious disease transmission. This is due to the fact that many prostitutes are involved in prostitution to support an addiction. Chronic diseases are also spread throughout correctional facilities and possibly at more advanced stages. This is likely to be caused from the aging of the inmates and the rise of
According to statistics from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, of the 455 criminals on death row in the state only 7 of them are women . This should tip us off to the manner in which we treat female criminals, even in the most pro-death penalty state in the country. Overall, women account for one in eight of people arrested for murder in America, but this ratio sinks to only one in seventy people currently on death row . This discrepancy must be a direct result of something, and is most probably attributed to society’s perception of women that place these female criminals as women first, killers second. “It’s a reflection of society’s view that women are less prone to evil than men are”, claims Jenni Gainsborough of the ACLU National Prison Project. We also seem to feel sorrier for women than we do men, and assume that if a woman has committed a crime it is because she has faced abuse in the past (usually inflicted by a man). This is true to some extent as it is claimed that 95% of women in prison were victims of abuse , but the point is that we generally stress the importance of female abuse while oftentimes neglecting abuse endured by their male counterparts.
The majority of the prison has been divided by race. The division doesn’t make the inmates separated or feel divided. Although, you see the Latinas with the Latinas, and the African-Americans with the African-Americans. Regardless of their race or the social situation of people, the inmates take care of each other most of the time. The women have adapted to life inside prison. Some women will be in there for less than a year, while others will spend the rest of their lives there. Prison is a lonely place, and in order to survive, friendships have to be made. The inmates learned to rely on each other and support each other through any
It is clear that every woman has the right to make their own decisions no matter of the situation they may be in. The decision the woman makes should never have to be compared or even justified against what other people think due to the fact the woman will be the one bearing the child and going through the whole nine month process. What would you do in a situation where you were just too young to give birth to a child? What would you do if you were not in a financially stable environment? Why would you bring an unwanted human being to life, costing hatred, frustration and agony towards a baby that does not deserve it? Is this what society really wants thousands of neglected children around the world?
The main issue of this proposal that must be taken in consideration is that many critics argue that men become ignored by feminism and that the argument for non-custodial sentences is feminist exceptionalism at work (Reed, 2013). Many argue that attempting to keep only women out of prison could be seen as sexist towards men and not about equality. However, it is important that equality is understood as not about treating everyone the same, but about treating everyone in such a way that the outcome for both men and women can be the same (Corston, 2007). Consequently, catering to everyone’s individual needs and preventing them from a life of
Between 6 to 10 percent of the incarcerated women are pregnant and 1,400 women gave birth while incarcerated in the United States, in one year alone. When people think of prison, they think of bad people that live in there. So, when they hear a mother wanting to keep her baby while in prison, people will think that the baby will be unsafe and that the mother should not keep the baby. Some people may say that it's the mother’s baby, and she have the rights to keep her baby if she want. Other people may say what they think is best for the baby, at a foster house, family house, or anywhere besides the prison. But, babies can change people’s lives around. When the mothers are given the opportunity to keep their baby with them in prison, they will do their best to get out of prison as soon as possible so they can give their baby a regular life.
This is there motivator for change. It is also recognized that female inmates have more about emotional needs. Most female inmates find out who they are for the first time in their life while incarcerated. This is the result of not being abused, not have a john or a pimp lurking around the corner waiting to use or abuse them. Male inmates, on the other hand, have to prove themselves. They are hostile and often blame others for the situation in which they find themselves. They are rarely open to accepting assistant. The male ego often gets in the way to making progress in prison. Men view seeking change as an admission that something is wrong. That admission shows weakness. Male inmates are generally very reluctant to volunteer for programs that are rehabilitative in nature. They do not feel that they need to be rehabilitated. The male population operates strictly on peer pressure, male ego and reputation. Despite the fact these programs could help them in the long run, their immediate dictate to be hard wins out. Female inmates will help each other out. They will work with one another to get through a crisis, and bond when one of them needs help, whereas men are less likely to signal that they are hurting or share the particulars of their
The sight of a mother cradling her newborn baby is a beautiful thing. The love in her eyes for her small vulnerable child is unmistakable. Women who have become a victim to abortion are not able to experience special moments such as these. Abortion impacts the health and well being of the women affected by it. It has become a common way for women to escape a difficult time in their life. At the time, abortion may seem like a good idea. Most women think that it will solve the current problem they are in; this is not the case. Abortion actually ends up creating more problems than the woman can solve. A large percentage of abortions are decided for social reasons; the baby is seen as a nuisance by the mother, she does not want people to think