Besoins de santé des femmes détenues et pratiques sexospécifiques en prison IN PRESS
Dans un univers essentiellement masculin, les femmes représentent une population carcérale invisible. La situation des femmes en détention n’a fait l’objet que d’une attention marginale et leurs besoins en matière de santé comme de réinsertion ne sont pas pris en compte de manière adéquate. Sans être un lieu de soins, la prison peut représenter une opportunité d’accès à des soins spécifiques pour cette population vulnérable et marginalisée, et par là contribuer à réduire les inégalités de genre en santé.
Une incursion dans le quotidien de femmes détenues en Suisse: État de santé et pratiques religieuses
Constituant seulement 6% de la population carcérale en moyenne en 2017, les femmes détenues en Suisse sont trop souvent négligées par les politiques carcérales et sociales, tout comme le sont leurs besoins spécifiques tant de santé que de réinsertion. Des disparités importantes existent selon l’établissement dans lequel les femmes sont détenues, notamment si celui-ci leur est ou non exclusivement réservé. Et ces inégalités sont également observées sur le plan scientifique, les femmes étant invisibilisées dans les études sur la prison.
Assessing incarcerated women’s physical and mental health status and needs in a Swiss prison: a cross-sectional study
Background. Women make up 5% of the European prison population on average. Almost invisible in prison and health research, and suffering the stigma associated with female offending, incarcerated women are often forgotten, and their specific healthcare needs remain much ignored. Combining face-to-face survey interviews and medical chart data, we aim to assess the health status, healthcare needs, and access to preventive medicine of women incarcerated in Switzerland. Results. Sixty incarcerated adult women participated in a cross-sectional study to assess their life and incarceration histories, physical and mental health problems, medication, and use of medical services. Eligibility criteria were (a) an incarceration of at least four weeks and (b) the ability to provide written informed consent. Exclusion criteria were psychiatric instability and insufficient language competence. Women’s average age was 34.3 years old (SD = 9.8); 45.0% of them were born in Switzerland, 33.3% in Europe and 15.0% on the African continent. Overall, 61.7% of women self-reported physical or mental health problems and 13.3% indicated they were once diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection. Further, 78.3% of women were active cigarette smokers; more than one in three women reported alcohol use problems and almost one in two women had used at least one illicit drug in the year before incarceration. Depression and perceived stress scores were above clinical cut-off points for more than half of interviewed women. When asked how they rated their health, 68.3% of women felt it had worsened since incarceration. All but four women had accessed prison medical services; however, our study does not indicate whether women’s use of healthcare was indeed adequate to their needs. Conclusions. This study demonstrated incarcerated women’s poor health and health-risk behaviours. Structural changes and gender-responsive health promotion interventions have the potential to improve the health of incarcerated women and help them return to the community in better health.