Women In Detention Research Articles

Women in detention

AbstractPrison systems are rarely gender sensitive, and are even less so in conflict situations. When women are detained, it is crucial that international standards, applied with sensitivity to women's particular needs, are brought to bear. This article gives an overview of the relevant international law, as well as the gender-specific considerations that need to be taken into account when implementing it.

Surveillance of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae infections in women in detention in Baltimore, Maryland.

In conjunction with a program to expand syphilis and HIV infection services, women were also offered screening for Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (GC) during intake at the Baltimore Women's Detention Center. The goal was to assess the effectiveness of a routine screening program for CT and GC in women in a detention setting. The association among infection, race, and area of residence was also explored. CT and GC prevalences were determined and analyzed by demographic data, including zipcode, for 1,858 women enrolled over a 48-week period. Informed consent was obtained, and infections were detected with use of urine samples tested by ligase chain reaction. Overall, the population had prevalence rates of 5.9% (109/1,858) and 3.4% (63/1,858) for CT and GC respectively. Among whites, CT and GC prevalences were 9.0% (29/323) and 8.7% (28/323), respectively. Among African Americans the prevalence rates were 5.1% (77/1,510) and 2.3% (34/1,510) for CT and GC, respectively. White women <25 years of age were associated with the highest CT and GC prevalences, at 20.0% (13/65) and 13.9% (9/65), respectively. African American women <25 years of age also were associated with the highest CT and GC prevalences, at 13.9% (24/173) and 5.8% (10/173), respectively. Multivariate analysis of risk factors and demographic data indicated that ages <25 years and 25 to 34 years, white race, and certain zipcodes of residence were risk factors for infection. This study illustrated that urine-based screening for CT and GC is feasible in detention settings and can be productive in high-prevalence areas. Geographic analysis demonstrated no definitive relationship among race, infection, and area of residence, although it did demonstrate clustering of infected individuals and could be useful in future interventions. These findings demonstrated the need for implementing screening programs for sexually transmitted infections in detention centers.

An HIV risk-reduction intervention in an adolescent correctional facility: Lessons learned

Adolescents are now being described as the generation most at risk for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Incarcerated young women remain a group at even greater risk, with markedly higher HIV seroprevalence rates compared with their male counterparts. In preparing for a longitudinal, randomized, controlled trial, our research team conducted a pilot project with incarcerated adolescent women. The purpose of this report is to offer clinicians and researchers interested in working with this population some insights on how to approach young women in detention and the logistics of carrying out a program in a correctional facility.

Drugs and Crime Interrelationships Among Women in Detention

(1981). Drugs and Crime Interrelationships Among Women in Detention. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs: Vol. 13, Drugs, Crime and Criminal Justice, pp. 289-295.

Women in Detention in the Middle East: A Human Rights Perspective

Women in the Middle East are systematically subjected to discrimination, prejudice, stereotypical treatment, and lack of protection by the law, customs and practice. Nowhere is this more evident than upon arrest or detention where they often find themselves subject to double discrimination : firstly, as “criminals”, or offenders, and secondly as women. The protective Arab culture of the “honor” and “interest” of the woman suddenly vanishes, and what is normally seen as the unacceptable, suddenly becomes acceptable.