Health Issues in Corrections - Essay Example

Studies show that most women who are admitted into the correction system are in their child-bearing years and a good number of these women are mothers who have history of gynecological problems (Fearn and Parker, 2005). In fact, a good number of these women are young mothers who have been subjected to abuse by their partners (Fearn and Parker, 2005). In most cases, women who are brought to the correction facilities are in poor health and are suffering from different types of physical and mental problems.

The emergence of inequity in delivery of healthcare services to inmates coupled by the increasing number of women in incarceration and complexities of the health problems that these women often face make it difficult for the correction system to provide these women with adequate healthcare (Harrison and Beck, 2005; Marquart et. al., 2009). The fact some correction facilities now have a ballooning number of inmates and some of the inmates require special medical care put strain on the healthcare system within the correction facilities (Marquart et. al., 2009).

Although the correction system has considerably improved since the Supreme Court’s decision in the case of Estelle v. Gamble (1976)1, there are still a number of things that need improvement in the provision of healthcare services to inmates. . II. Defining the Cause of the Medical Problems Faced by Prisoners There are many reasons why prisoners, especially women, face several cases of medical problems. Most inmates who are in prison suffer from a number of health issues but the most compelling reason for this situation is that most of these people who are in prison already have a history of poor health.

According to Green et. al (2009), the life course perspective of both male and female inmates often involves health problems stemming from their socio-economic status and lifestyle before and during incarceration. For instance, in 1998, about 24 percent of women who were admitted to the correction system had a history of mental health and 78 percent of these women have suffered physical and mental abuse before their incarceration (Harrison and Beck, 2005). The gender specific cases of physical and mental abuse made women more vulnerable to certain types of mental conditions which often manifest when they are under stress or are confined inside a correction facility (Green et. al, 2009).

Aside from the effects of gender specific abuse, health problems that are mostly associated with African-American women are also prevalent. About 37 percent of the women who are incarcerated are African-American who has history of hypertension and diabetes (Harrison and Beck, 2005). The health problems of these women can be traced back to their socio-economic status prior to their incarceration. According to Harrison and Beck (2005), about 50 percent of the women who were admitted to the correction system are mothers who have been unemployed during the month of their arrest and incarceration and out of this number,