Female Prisoners in Sindh: A Health Analysis for Policy Makers

Abstract

Unfortunately, the self-reported health status of female prisoners in Pakistan and especially in Sindh province have not been appropriately explored or documented. No doubt, the health of female prisoners is more vulnerable as compared to male prisoners. However, neither policymakers nor social scientists paid attention to the health-related issues of female prisoners in Pakistan. Therefore, 113 (convicted: 28, under trial: 85) female prisoners in three prisons of Sindh (Karachi, Hyderabad, and Larkana) were interviewed. It was found that there is a positive correlation (p=0.007) between the educational background of female prisoners and satisfaction toward available health care facilities in women prisons of Sindh province. The main objective of on-going research was to reveal the female prisoners' health status and their level of satisfaction toward provided health care facilities in the Sindh province of Pakistan. The research findings suggest that the health status of female prisoners and the impact of imprisonment on their health must be better studied at the National or provincial level for the enhancement of the health-related interventions in prisons.