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Abstract #165192

Corey Weinstein, MD, CCHP, Correctional Medical Consultant, 1063 Plymouth Ave, San Francisco, CA 94112, 414-333-8228, coreman@igc.org

Women are the fastest growing segment of US prison and jail populations. In 1970, there were 5,600 incarcerated women in the US, in 2004 there were 103,000 with no increase in the crime rate for women. Most women have committed nonviolent offenses (66%), are mothers of minor children (64%), and were unemployed (60%) or poor (40%) at the time of their arrest. Despite being nonviolent with special needs around drug addiction and family unification women prisoners are treated like male offenders, and are usually guarded my male officers. Women prisoners and their advocates have campaigned to end cross gender pat searches, to stop the assignment of male staff to housing units and for decent medical care, appropriate vocational and educational training and gender specific programs on drug use, family needs and hygiene and clothing supplies. Correctional administrations need to be encouraged to develop gender responsive strategies to meet the needs of women prisoners to preserve their dignity.

Learning Objectives: By the end of the session, participants will

• Learn the demographics of women prisoners, and differences from male prisoners;
• Learn the special needs of women prisoners; and
• Learn about campaigns to end the assignment of male staff to women's housing units.

Keywords: Incarceration, Women's Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No
Any institutionally-contracted trials related to this submission?

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.