The number of women in prisons has been increasing for the last few years and to me is very interesting, when I think of a criminal I automatically think of men due to their larger stature and anger outbursts. According to this article “Data show women receive life sentences at double the rate of males and are receiving convictions later in life.” To me this seems unbelievable because all the women I know, I could never see committing a violent crime, they all convey motherly figures. In that quote from the text it says “receiving convictions later in life,” this is the reason women need more health benefits than men in prisons. I find it very interesting that the prisons and jails are helping as much as they are with the different kind of foods some women need to be fed. The article also mentions that once women get into prison they seek medical help two and a half times more than men, to me this is because of all the constant hormonal changes women have, especially when they get older. I also find it very interesting that in the article it says how they are many inmates in their forty’s that are in much worse condition than much older people in the community. This is interesting to me because I have never heard of this many health problems with men in prisons, I would assume they both get mutual care? To me this article is very interesting and has many different facts about women in prisons that I never would have guessed as true. -LW001
I agree with what you are saying about how women need more health benefits than men. Women go through a lot as they get older. Their body starts to change in many different ways. From the time that puberty starts to the day women get old and bones start to become brittle. I feel that it depends on where the prison that someone is in for them to get decent health care. Not all prisons have the best record for giving good care. I wouldn’t say men don’t get the same attention as women for health care but with all the hormonal changes women need it just a lil bit more. Batman002
I think it's really a shame that older women aren't getting the proper care that they need. I fell so bad for the woman who had to have her teeth removed because of the poor care of that healthcare center, at the jail. We should really convince our legislatures, especially at the state level, to improve conditions at the state jails for everyone. Better facilities, benefits, and healthcare would be a great start for reforming these jails for the better. -OUTATIME002
Female incarceration rates have been steadily rising, with that has come the realization that female inmates need different care than most men. Especially women that are in prison as they are aging. Most studies conducted on this matter are about male inmates. There was a study done in 2014 though,on 327 women averaging age 56, that were being incarcerated in 5 southern states. This study showed that female inmates, falling in the mid 50's age range, suffered an average of 4 medical conditions that were chronic. On top of that, they were averaging 5 medications a day, were historically victimized frequently, and they had a lot of concerns when it came to mental health. That is a lot of money going towards these women's needs just because their bodies are like those of 60 year olds at only 50 years old. An interesting fact that associates with this idea is that women, in general, suffer from mental health problems a lot more than men. So take that fact on top of the fact that these women are being put behind bars. It is a recipe for disaster. Female incarceration is a topic that needs to be learned more and more about, and I am excited to take part in that learning experience.-psych001
Not all prisons have the best record for giving good care. I wouldn’t say men don’t get the same attention as women for health care but with all the hormonal changes women need it just a lil bit more.I agree with what you are saying about how women need more health benefits than men. Women go through a lot as they get older. Their body starts to change in many different ways. From the time that puberty starts to the day women get old and bones start to become brittle. I feel that it depends on where the prison that someone is in for them to get decent health care. And health care isn’t like what most people get out of prison it’s normally the bare minimum. Which is sad because most people that are in prison are there for nonviolent offenses. And there were treated like animals because of a small crime. Batman001
This article touches on mass incarceration on women and how they age in prison. In the article Alice Marie Johnson was an inmate at the Bureau of Prisons facility in Cardwell, TX. Alice Johnson was imprisoned for a car accident and was sentenced to life in prison. She had dental implants put in a long time before she was incarcerated. But because there was no way to maintain it they had to pull her teeth out. I understand that they did a crime but the prisoner is still human. If this was only one inmates experience while in prison imagine all the others people. Mass incarceration has grown significantly especially for woman. It’s says “about 219,000 women are now serving time in the United States prisons and jails.” Also, about 7,000 women are serving life sentences at prisons in states including California, Alaska, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland and Utah. It’s not surprising to think that women’s incarceration is higher than men now a days and how things going. I believe that women were always committing crimes. Men just didn’t think we could do such a thing on the men idea that some women are weak and field. Men always looked at women as a stay at home wife who helped with the kids, cook, and clean and ran earrings. Now that we have gender neutral laws they see us as equal to men. I once had a project in high school and we had to find a serial killer and explain what happened. There were female serial killers that dated back to the 1600s in this one book and the crimes they committed was smart but Kroul. Also we watched this old movie where this lady killed her husband and the officers never thought it would be her but the way she killed him was smart and well thought out.women out always with a lot of stuff back in the day such as crime but now the time has changed and we are seen as strong females. Batman001
This article touches on mass incarceration on women and how they age in prison. In the article Alice Marie Johnson was an inmate at the Bureau of Prisons facility in Cardwell, TX. Alice Johnson was imprisoned for a car accident and was sentenced to life in prison. She had dental implants put in a long time before she was incarcerated. But because there was no way to maintain it they had to pull her teeth out. I understand that they did a crime but the prisoner is still human. If this was only one inmates experience while in prison imagine all the others people. Mass incarceration has grown significantly especially for woman. It’s says “about 219,000 women are now serving time in the United States prisons and jails.” Also, about 7,000 women are serving life sentences at prisons in states including California, Alaska, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland and Utah. It’s not surprising to think that women’s incarceration is higher than men now a days and how things going. I believe that women were always committing crimes. Men just didn’t think we could do such a thing on the men idea that some women are weak and field. Men always looked at women as a stay at home wife who helped with the kids, cook, and clean and ran earrings. Now that we have gender neutral laws they see us as equal to men. I once had a project in high school and we had to find a serial killer and explain what happened. There were female serial killers that dated back to the 1600s in this one book and the crimes they committed was smart but Kroul. Also we watched this old movie where this lady killed her husband and the officers never thought it would be her but the way she killed him was smart and well thought out.women out always with a lot of stuff back in the day such as crime but now the time has changed and we are seen as strong females. This article touches on mass incarceration on women and how they age in prison. In the article Alice Marie Johnson was an inmate at the Bureau of Prisons facility in Cardwell, TX. Alice Johnson was imprisoned for a car accident and was sentenced to life in prison. She had dental implants put in a long time before she was incarcerated. But because there was no way to maintain it they had to pull her teeth out. I understand that they did a crime but the prisoner is still human. If this was only one inmates experience while in prison imagine all the others people. Batman002
Through the years the amount of women serving time in prison has skyrocketed. Since the 1980’s the amount of women incarcerated has increased a whopping 700%. There is now somewhere around 219,000 women serving time behind bars. Out of all the women serving time 7,000 of them are serving a life sentence. The article continues to say that women are receiving life sentences at double the rate as men. To me these statistics are insane, because I wouldn’t expect such a high increase in incarcerated women. I'm also surprised that women are receiving life sentences at double the rate as men. To get life in prison a serious crime has to be committed, and I would think that a crime of that altitude would be done by a male. The health of incarcerated women is often times forgotten about. In the last decade very few studies have been done over the heath of women in prisons. According to the article, “ female inmates averaged four chronic medical conditions and received five daily medications, had frequently histories of victimization, high rates of mental health issues and challenges with negotiating health care”. I find this interesting because this is the first time I’ve ever heard about the medical problems that the older prison mates go through. This has caught the attention of the Department of Justice, because the First Step Act was passed. When someone reaches the age of 50 in prison they are considered to be elderly. I find this weird, because both of my parents are 50 years old, and I don’t consider them anywhere near elderly. This really shows how much a toll prison has on someone's body, especially over the years. Many of the women who are incarcerated and have medical conditions often times had traumatic life experiences. This is no excuse for the crimes they committed this is just related to why some of the women need certain medications. Even though these women committed crimes I feel bad for the women who spend twenty plus years in jail for nonviolent crimes. Alice Johnson is an example of this, she spent twenty one years in jail for drug conspiracy charges. While being in jail she lost many years with her four children, and parents. I feel like this much time in prison over drugs is almost ridiculous, and that there are better ways to deal with this. -CRJB002
I agree with you on 50 being considered elderly. I also agree with you on how people are being treated because of what they did. No matter how bad the crime is people are still alive and deserve the proper healthcare . With the conviction of drug charges is also crazy to me on how these people get all these years. When there is more serious crimes being done.
This article is a prime example of why we need to reform our jails to better help our inmate, especially older inmates. I think its staggering that there has been 700 percent increase in the population of female inmates. You honestly wouldn’t think women would be the ones to commit many crimes, typically it’s the men committing crimes. But the fact that women are receiving twice the life sentences as men is really interesting, just because you don’t expect women to commit those types of crimes. It thinks its really sad that these women will remain behind bars well into their 50s, combined with the fact that this number will increase is just unfortunate. Health care is really an issue at these prisons and jails, and it seems like older women aren’t getting the proper care that they need. The article included the figures from a 2014 study of 327 women, average age 56, suggested that these women had an average of four medical conditions and required five daily doses of medication. There was a Supreme Court decision in 1976 that gave inmates a constitutional right to receive healthcare, but the real issue is that there is no solid review on how this policy is being implemented and if inmates are actually being giving the proper care. All in all, there is still plenty of work to be done on reforming these prisons, especially on the healthcare side of things. I think that story of that woman who had to get her teeth pulled should not have happened if the dentist office was well equipped. We should really work to convince our legislators to improve conditions for all inmates, especially for older inmates. It will be difficult, but it can be done and for the sake of the inmates who need it, we really should get to work on making these prisons better for everyone. -OUTATIME002
I completely agree with you on that we need to find ways to improve the health care for these inmates. I also found it interesting how they are receiving so many life sentences compared to men, we usually never realize how many women are actually committing crimes these days. Again with the health care, its sad that the treatment they are getting is not great, just because they have the right to receive it many places dont have good enough health care. I hope to one day see that there is a change in the care they are receiving and hopefully see a better outcome in the inmates. -wags002
I agree that it is every person’s right to receive healthcare. However, there needs to be clarification within the legislators as to what kind of healthcare they receive. It should be adequate enough for them to maintain as healthy a life as possible. The reports that the only option for Ms. Johnson was to have her teeth removed does not seem like the only feasible solution to her lower gum pain. The risks of infections, nutrition aspects and overall mental health should be addressed. While it may have seemed like only a cosmetic issue, she saw her teeth as part of her maintaining her dignity. Healthcare in prisons should be clearly defined. Theoretically, giving a person with stab wound a bandage could be considered health care. -Zen002
One interesting thing I read in your response to the article was when you said women are getting twice the amount of life sentences and you thought that was interesting. I found it interesting that you felt sad that women committing those life sentence type crimes mostly felonies you felt bad they were going to be behind bars past their 50’s. I don’t necessarily feel bad for a man or woman who committed a felony enough to get a life sentence. I don’t mean to criticize and I could see how you possibly could have meant the people with very minor charges. You put that you feel sad for them, and right before you were talking about women that have committed crimes that are felons. I think that a woman that murders somebody deserves to spend their life in a cell. I think that we would both agree, someone who committed a minor crime and got a serious sentencing doesn’t deserve to spend their life in a cell, but the ones who committed more serious crimes. I don’t feel bad for them. Sorry if this comes off as a little harsh. Nothing against you I just felt iffy about that part of your response. Jorg002
Wow, such a powerful article. These days we are trying to figure out how to take care of the older prisoners? I was thinking come up with more social rehab programs or more reform teams to discuss social implications on the prisoner do to each circumstance. Maybe if a family member might take over custody of the inmate if released early.Ongoing senior care is such a big deal prison reform is such a big deal the politicians need to do more and enact with more laws to combat the problem. We would save money in costs in these people were not in prison. But how do we determine what is right and what is wrong? If we need to set more taxes for the woman to get the proper healthcare they need it would piss me off to raise taxes but somehow let them pay for it would be nice. I always liked the idea in the old days dump an inmate on an island and let them deal with their stuff on their own like they did in the early days in Australia. This way you wouldn't have to worry about healthcare they would be on their own. Why do women have to succumb to violence to get life and long sentences if the there was a male dominance in the household might have been a positive attribute to control over whatever the problem or crime would have arisen. Either way, no matter how you look at it prison reform is gonna take alot of time and rethinking depending which legislator would want to talk about it. navy001
I agree that older prisoners especially women need to be taken care of better. I think those older inmates who have families to take custody of them once they are released could be a good idea. I think it's important for all inmates in general to have some kind of support group once they are released. The whole idea where dumping an inmate on some random island would never pass in today's society. I don't know all the details on how Australia did this back in the day, but it sounds pretty inhumane. This idea would end up being a worse solution than jail, because yes it would help with the overpopulation in prisons but would also send people away to die. -CRJB002
I can see where you are coming from with the idea of putting people on an island and it being more of a survivor of the fittest. Although when you think of it, all the families of the inmates would have major issues with their family being sent to an island alone. No matter what crime your family member did to get into prison, would you be alright with them being sent off to an island to fend for themselves? Even if it does save money and resources I don't think that idea could be possible especially in our day and age. It is a very interesting thought but that is my opinion on the situation. -wb002
This article was really eye opening to how health care is for women these days. We always hear about the men going to prison and all that but what we dont hear much about is the huge increase of women going to prison. This article mentions that due to the likelihood the drug and property crime convictions have sparked the major increase of 700 percent of women inmates in the last four decades. There have always been women committing crimes but as the years go by it seems there are a lot more going to prison and staying there for long periods of time. The article also mentions from the 2018 PPI report there is "about 219,000 women now serving time...and almost 7,000 serving a life sentence." It blows my mind that this many women have committed crimes that were serious enough to get life. Its a new world out there and more women are committing crimes than before. With that being said I never really knew about the health care they were/are provided. It really shows how bad it is and that we need to improve it some how. Now I do believe that prison is a place to get sent to get a punishment for a crime however they are still human beings that need care. Some will never get the right rehabilitation that they need in these conditions. Women seem to have a harder time as in medical conditions in prison and it shows just how much of a toll prison takes to their being. Not to say it doesnt have an affect on men but women seem to go through a lot too. Its hard to get all the right treatment and everything for each female inmate but im sure there are ways to improve that. Another thing I learned was that there aren't as many facilities for the women, which should change due the major increase on women incarcerated. Overall female offenders are increasing while the healthcare seems to be decreasing, we need to find ways to help rehabilitate these women more. -wags002
I agree that women are being treated very poorly in the prison system, it's also true that it is hard for them to change from the person they were while being treated like they are not worth anything. The spike in crime from women definitely is something that a lot of people scratch their head about but I think it is just due to how different the world is from what it used to be. Women used to be respected by not only their significant others but also by the general public, and I feel that we are straying from those times due to women's rights movements which is also a a big cause of the flux in women going to jail as these movements do get violent at times. JU002
One thing that really stood out to me from this article is, the prison nurses being surprised at the age of some of the inmates. I believe that, that alone is enough to show that these women are not being taken care of properly, or at least not being kept to the standard that they need to be at. Also, I believe that it is a bit ridiculous how they have let it come this far before deciding to bring actual attention to it. Women are known for having much greater medical needs, especially once they are above the age of 50 because their bodies just aren't as 'resilient' as men's and maybe that is why it has been overlooked, because the mind set that, if one group doesn't have a problem with it then neither does any other group, seems to be how things are approached. The amount of research done is shockingly low considering the amount of attention that has been brought upon the topic. The last study that actually had some type of push for better treatment of older women especially in prison was in 2014, where they studied 327 women, averaging around the age of 56 in 5 different prisons in the south. This found that most of the older women coming into the prisons were averaging at least four chronic medical conditions and were having to take 5 daily medications. This study still did not bring upon much change and wasn’t given much media attention even though it is on a very important topic. I don’t believe that the prison system is fair for any gender, race, or ethnicity, but after reading this it definitely made me realize just how neglected women are in this system, and I don’t believe that many people would think women have it hard, but truthfully they have is just as bad, if not worse than men do. JU002
I agree with you in every way. The women should be taken care of, yes, they are in prison, but they are still humans and deserve to be taken care of no matter what. I know that the nurse really shouldn’t be surprised though, they are nurses and need to understand that not everyone in prison will be young. It's also true that it is hard for them to change from the person they were while being treated like they are not worth anything. The spike in crime from women definitely is something that a lot of people scratch their head about but I think it is just due to how different the world is from what it used to be. Women used to be respected by not only their significant others but also by the general public. SH002
The women in prison article gave me new information I didn't know about the prison system. The way they care for their inmates is sad. Its like they forget they are human beings and have needs to better their health. Being older in prison for a women is more serious compare to men on prsion. When it comes to their healthcare they seem to ge ignore the most. In the beginning of the article talking about how the women Kim Kardashian heled get out was mind blowing. Instead of heing her get new teeth they decided to just to take them. That shows how much they care about their inmates and cant afford the proper healthcare. These women need more than simple personal hygeine products like soap, toothpaste. Having something simple like a walker is hard for an inmate to get while in prison. I also learned that women over 50 years old need proper diets to help with their healthcare. Their is also a hand few of inmates refuse something simple like a mamaogram because they don't want to get up early or they are jsut scared. I learned that the popluation of female prisoners have increased a lot compare to the men. That being said since it has grown there are more costs when it comes to providing them the right health care they need. The stress of prsion also casues a healthcare concern. They have women in there who have children theycan't even help raise and younger inamtes who have parents who have cancer and can't help them. Prsion is supose to rehabilitate these women, they mentioned something aboout thereapy but it seems like it dosent help or they don't won't it. With the help of certain politcal leaders it seems there is some concern with these women. It just amazed me how in certain states have higher life sencteces compare to others. In conclusion to the article I have learned the mistreatment of women inmates due to lack of proper healthcare that can make their lives in prison more tolerable.When it comes to comfortable sleeping, hygeine, and overall haivng a healthy mental health.
I think your response to the article really touched a lot on what I learned and thought about it too! It’s so crazy to me that women are in there and being forgotten about. Not to mention losing their teeth and missing out on numerous other health care options. Like you said, they committed a crime but they are still humans. Women over 50 need a tremendous amount of special treatments; I couldn’t imagine my mom or grandma not having their medications needed to live or not being able to get something as simple as a walker. I also thought it was a good point how you said something about the women imprisoned having children that they can’t support or help raise because of this; it’s basically just continuing the cycle that way. --coffeeplease002
According to the article, Women in Prison, the women in the prison have a lot of needs and most prisons can’t provide for those needs and it’s just sad. The women in the prisons, are usually older. The prison nurses even are surprised about the ages of the women. I know that the women are not being well taken care of and it shows sometimes. Women over the age of 50, are the ones who mainly need the most attention. Mainly mentally and medically. Some will never get the right rehabilitation that they need in these conditions. Women seem to have a harder time as in medical conditions in prison and it shows just how much of a toll prison takes to their being. Not to say it doesn’t have an effect on men but women seem to go through a lot too. It’s hard to get all the right treatment and everything for each female inmate but I’m sure there are ways to improve that. Due to the likelihood the drug and property crime convictions have sparked the major increase of 700 percent of women inmates in the last four decades. There have always been women committing crimes but as the years go by it seems there are a lot more going to prison and staying there for long periods of time. Now I do believe that prison is a place to get sent to get a punishment for a crime however they are still human beings that need care. The article included the figures from a 2014 study of 327 women, average age 56, suggested that these women had an average of four medical conditions and required five daily doses of medication. There was a Supreme Court decision in 1976 that gave inmates a constitutional right to receive healthcare, but the real issue is that there is no solid review on how this policy is being implemented and if inmates are actually being giving the proper care. SH002
I thought the same as you do. They should and try to fix things in the jail to help the inmates out so they could get what they need as of health care related. I liked how they actually put the studies on the article because it gives us a look back on how many female inmates are needing help. I didn't know what "Undue Familiarity" was till read what was underneath it. Softball002
The plight of women in the prison population is a delicate and growing problem within prison system. Women pose a unique issue within the prison system and their health concerns should be addressed on a wide scale. According to a study, there is an estimated 219,000 women currently in prison and the majority of the women are in prison for drug and property crimes. The alarming fact is there are approximately 7,000 women serving life sentence. Women receive double the amount of life sentences than men and it is often when they are at an older age. Perhaps it’s the concepts that many people are more horrified by women committing acts of violence than men. Because they are convicted later in life, this amplifies the need for medical care. Many of these women may go through menopause in prison. While this is a difficult time for most women, it’s difficult to think how those symptoms are managed in prison. Many remedies are just simply not available to women in prison. Regardless of crimes committed, everyone is entitled to adequate and humane health care. Some may argue that since they committed a crime, they must do the appropriate time. Recently, there was the story of a woman that was forced to give birth in a cell alone. This is an extreme case but it highlights the need for consistent and stable healthcare in the prison system. Mental health is another area that should be addressed. The majority of women unlike their male counterparts have experienced traumatic life experiences including being victims of domestic, sexual and physical abuse. As a result there are accompanying mental health aspects that the women should be treated for in prison. Often these are seen with anxiety and change when having to leave the prison facility for routine medical exams such as mammograms. The issue of humane care really needs to be addressed with legislators on all levels. –Zen002
I agree with you that the humane care of prisoners must be addressed with legislators on all levels, and the idea that everyone is entitled to adequate and humane health care. Yet another unfortunate aspect to this entire health/mental health problem is that nationwide there is a shortage of nurses and medically trained staff even for hospitals, let alone prisons. I feel this in many ways negatively impacts the process for everyone involved in treatment. One medical professional may spend too much time with one "elderly" inmate to adequately address her problems yet this in itself is cutting into another inmates time to be seen. Thus the circle of negligence goes on and on to the point where timely and humane treatment seems impossible. I think that rather prisons could showcase their medical positions more lucratively in an attempt to bring in an acceptable amount of hands to tackle this problem. -CamSlifton002
I believe these pilot studies are very important to observing and and addressing the rights to healthcare that inmates are granted under Estelle V. Gamble. I found it particularly shocking that for the last four decades women have had an increased likelihood, double that of men, of receiving life sentences for drug and property crimes. I was always under the false impression that statistically women received lighter sentences than men. It is unfortunate that the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) does not require the same training for its executive staff that it requires for its medical staff. I feel that this is the heart of the issue in why these women experience such significant traumas and senses of neglect. Out of sight out of mind. I also sense that more than anything this may be a financial issue which I don't think the article touches on. With women being still a smaller minority in the correctional system and with an ever expanding incarceration rate it may be economically unfeasible to be able to provide all the necessary requirements these women desire in the confines of the prison itself. Yet even when these institutions take the responsibility to transport these women to facilities where their needs can be met, they fight them about going. While sad and upsetting that they'd rather suffer illness than deal with the anxiety associated with the court bus full of younger females I can't help but at a certain point not feel sorry for them. The article attempts to showcase how these women feel emotional stress about not being able to care for aging family members, yet they themselves committed the crime which landed them in this very state. It would be beneficial for everyone if these studies where more numerous however, because it is distressing to me when I hear that women aged 50 can be considered elderly. While not every solution to these problems may not be economically believable, for a large group of persons aged 50 to expense such cognitive decline displays a level of neglect or abuse that is not being addressed. -CamSlifton002
I completely agree with the points you made. I feel inmates are being neglected to a certain extent, but i can't give an exact reason why. It could be because some are criminals, killers, burglars, or if they just do not care. Either way it's not fair and dehumanizing because as you said they are still humans with the same rights as every one else.
Reading this article really makes me understand not only how capable women are of committing crimes, but also how much more these institutions need to improve their care and treatments towards incarcerated women. There is very limited research on incarcerated women most surveyed women were above the age of 50 according to "limited research on female inmates". Regardless of age all inmates need the best medical attention that can be provided because they are still human beings that rely on the same care innocent people do. After the First Step Act a certain amount of 75 million dollars were supposed to be allocated to the agency to help meet the need of female inmates. While that was the plan none of the proposals reflect the health care needs of older women. Which is crazy because incarcerated women in prison are sicker than non-incarcerated women,and they have higher rates of disorders, and drug dependence than men before receiving their sentences according to "National Institute on Corrections". the study in 2014 that included 327 women, with an average age of 56, said these women had an average of four medical conditions that were required to take 5 doses of medication daily. Fortunately for the unfortunate the decision on Estelle v Gamble allowed inmates to acquire a constitutional right to have health care. At the end of the day having read this article it has opened my eyes to the conditions the incarcerated are put through. Whether it is deserved or not is up to you, but if they are gonna spend most of their life in our prisons we should at the very least make sure we are taking care of the people we are forcing to reside in our prisons. wiseguy002
I completely agree with the points you made. I feel inmates are being neglected to a certain extent, but i can't give an exact reason why. It could be because some are criminals, killers, burglars, or if they just do not care. Either way it's not fair and dehumanizing because as you said they are still humans with the same rights as every one else. wiseguy002
One thing I found interesting about this article, which may sound kind of rude, but these people are criminals. I think they do deserve the correct form of health care, but we focus on how a woman in prison lost her teeth, but we often forget about many other things. Like the aging outside of prison. The lady next door that has worked her whole life and now she can’t. She can’t afford a spot in a nursing home, because those are outrageous. She cant even afford to buy her monthly medicine. We have shifted our focus to how can we help these criminals be happy in prison, and I wonder why in the world can’t we help grandma get a ride to the grocery store, afterall she has only ever gotten maybe a ticket. I just think this is something interesting to think about. There is this huge trend of victimization. These poor prisoners that committed crimes are victims of poor health care. I guess overall I want to say, I know they’re human and they deserve healthcare. I do believe the people who haven’t been to prison deserve a better form of healthcare, but I guess I can only do my part in saying what I believe. Jorg002
Cassie M. Chew talks about Alice Marie Johnson story. Alice had pain around her bottom teeth. She went to a prison dentist. The dentist gave her an option. That option was too pull her teeth out. According to Cassie M. Chew, “ Johnson's story offers a glimpse of how policy and practice at correctional institutions haven’t met the needs of female prisoners when they require specialized treatment.” In the prison population there is lack awareness. According to the Prison Policy Initiative, “ About 219,000 women are now serving time in U.S. prisons and jails." That is a lot of females serving their time in the facility. The women serving time are waiting for their trial. 7,000 women are serving life sentences. The states that the 7,000 women are serving life are California, Alaska, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, and Utah. There are five states that incarcerating women at the highest levels. Life sentencing for women are double the rate of males. In 2014 they did a study of 327 women. They found that the average age is 56 also found female inmates have four chronic medical conditions and takes five daily medications, have a history of victimization, also have a high rate of mental health, and challenges with health care. In 2015, prison used the same “ court run". This means that the bus picks up the inmates from the state's courthouse to transport outside the facilities. Softball002
This article was very eye opening on just how much our prison systems need to change. It’s also very surprising to me that 219,000 women are involved in the prison and jail systems. Whenever I think of crimes that deserve or involve prison time my first thought is always that men are the ones responsible but so many times these days it is women committing these crimes. And on top of just spending years of their life in there, many inmates both young and old are not receiving the proper health care needs to live a humane life. The story at the beginning of the article regarding Alice Marie Johnson is very sad and cruel. She needed special cleanings to maintain her dental implants due to a car accident years earlier, and unfortunately she was only one decade into serving her life sentence when the prison dentist gave her one option: her teeth would need to be removed. “Despite being a designated federal medical center, the dental office at the Bureau of Prisons facility in Carswell, Tx., where she was expected to spend the rest of her life, didn’t have the instruments to maintain her implants.” – How sad is that? How could you intend to incarcerate a person for the rest of their life and not assume they will have medical issues like the rest of America’s elderly? It costs thousands and thousands of dollars to keep these inmates locked away and we still aren’t setting them up with proper medical instruments? If America intends to keep filling up their prisons and handing out life sentences then they need to prepare for the aging of their inmates. It is barbaric and inhumane to not give a person medical treatment when needed regardless if they committed a crime and are in prison. -coffeeplease002
It is disheartening knowing that these people are given long sentences or sentenced to life in prison and won't receive the medical help they need. I believe life sentences are necessary in certain circumstances, but the fact that so many are given that sentence without proper care towards medical treatment is concerning. -arm002
This article went into more detail on women in corrections than I have ever heard; which isn't much. I found it very interesting how correctional facilities have started to label women prisoners as elderly once they reach the age of fifty. Fifty is not very old at all, but after reading this article you realize how hard prison life is on the women inmates. They face so much stress as soon as they are incarcerated. Women are stressed over not being able to take care of their children, older relatives, past trauma, and many other factors. These stressors cause the inmates to age at a much more dramatic rate than women living outside of prison with normal lives. The article stated that there are inmates that are forty that look older than sixty and that is incredibly terrible. This rapid aging could also be due to the fact that prisons are not very well equipped to handle females. There is very little study and not enough training to provide the inmates with everything they may need. The article had also said that women receive life sentences at double the rate of men. Why is that? The article does not go into much detail to explain why that is happening, but I wish it did. With life sentences, women are aging in the prison system and are needing more and more attention as they age. They will need assistance such as walkers, canes, and medical treatments. With everything the women inmates need and with how little we know about taking care of them, we need more research and definitely need to reform our prisons. -arm002
I was not aware of most of this information on women prisoners either. It is sad to think these women are aging so fast and harshly that fifty years old is considered elderly. Obviously something new needs to be done for the health and sanity of these women. It is crazy to think that women are recieving life sentences at double the rate of male offenders. I am not sure what the answer is for this either. Maybe this is due to the rise among equality and we are making up for missed time. Maybe we really do have a large percentage of women that deserve the life sentence and it is being recognized now. -KF002
The number of women behind bars over the last four decades has increased by 700 percent among conviction for drug and property crimes. According to the Prison Policy Initiative 2018 report, we have nearly 219,000 women serving time in the United States correctional facilities. Shocking data shows women have been receiving life sentences at double the rate as male convicts, and are also receiving more convictions later in life. Healthcare in the correction system is definitely not ideal, and the data we have on women in these systems in quite limited. In 1976 the Supreme Court took on Estelle v Gamble, which the decision gave inmates the right under the constitution to health care. Fortunately for federal facilities, women are guaranteed treatment for childbirth related care, physical, mental, and substance-related illnesses. The Center for Prisoner Health and observed that there is no proof whether care and the health services provided meet the national standards. U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker have taken notice of the healthcare issues and then recently reintroduced the Dignity for Incarcerated Women Act. This act is meant to improve visitation and programs for inmates with children, and aim to prepare them for when they shall return home. Aging women in prison are sicker than non-incarcerated women. Some correctional facilities classify inmates as the elderly around the age of fifty. Females in the system have more chronic medical disorders, psychiatric problems, and drug dependence problems before incarceration than males. Women also seek care for these problems two and a half times more than the men in prison. While incarcerated many women feel at a loss for their parents becoming sick or passing. Women who are mothers ache from not being able to watch their children grow. These burdens strike a toll on these women offenders. We need to do better for these women going through health problems with no reliable help. -KF002
It is definitely an issue in multiple ways that the number of incarcerated women has increased. Not enough research has gone into the needs of incarcerated women compared to men. The mental and physical aspects between the two vary wildly and what does not bother men can greatly bother women. Women's emotions are more easily affected and can lead them down even worse roads than men health-wise. Women have physical connections to their children as they carried them for months, so it is no surprise that they suffer more knowing they cannot watch them grow. Women need specialized treatments in jails and prisons compared to men, like Alice Marie Johnson. If a man had his teeth pulled, he may not have had the same reaction whereas Alice felt like her femininity was taken away as the smile she once had and loved was ruined from a poorly equipped jail dentist. - Gamma002
More research needs to be done on the female convict so we can figure the main reason behind the massive seven hundred percent increase in female inmates. I feel that another question in this area is, what can be done to improve conditions for imprisoned women and what can be done to keep them from recidivism? Women deal with different physical and mental issues than men especially as they increase in age. As stated in the article, “While the majority focused on men, a 2014 study of 327 women, average age 56, incarcerated at prisons in five states in the South found female inmates averaged four chronic medical conditions and received five daily medications, had frequently histories of victimization, high rates of mental health issues and challenges with negotiating health care.” This begs for change whether it be more access to psychiatrists or therapists and access to better health care without the challenge of any form of negotiating. As women age, their health changes in very different ways than men, like issues with menopausal changes and the necessity of calcium and B-12 as well as a reduction of sodium. Thankfully changes are being made as the government is realizing the needs of female inmates. The article mentions, “Improving conditions for female inmates also has been trending since the passage of the First Step Act. The Department of Justice in July announced that it would use part of the $75 million Congress allocated to the agency to implement the December 2018 law to expand programs to meet the needs of female inmates.” Still, knowing this will require a lot of work and funding to continue giving female inmates the help they need. The article told “The data indicate that women aging in prison, like their male counterparts, are sicker than non-incarcerated women. Because of this, the National Institute on Corrections and some state prisons systems classify inmates at “elderly” when they turn age 50. Incarcerated females have higher rates of chronic medical disorders, psychiatric disorders and drug dependence before receiving a prison sentence than men. Once inside, they seek medical care two and a half times as often of male prisoners.” I believe if we use rehabilitation on younger women it should help with successful releases so that less women will be in jail and the ones in jail will be there long enough to age a lot. - Gamma002
Good job! I agree with everything you said. I think that prison is definitely harsh on the aging process. As women and men get older they start to need more assistance. These prisons are not willing to put in the extra work to help us. I think someone should crack down and look into who is being hired. It is extremely crazy that the number of women being incarcerated in increasing rapidly. Since they reintroduced the dignity for incarcerated women act they should enforce it more in these women prisons. I'm a young woman myself, and I could imagine being denied any feminine hygiene products. -Jas002
The story about Alice Johnson and her dental problem was an eye opener for me. I always knew that prisoners didn't get the same medical attention that we do. The fact that the only option for her was to get all of her teeth removed is appalling. Even though some of these women do horrific crimes they are still all human and deserve better medical treatment than what they are getting now. The amount of women behind bars is insane to me. I had no idea that nearly 219,000 women were incarcerated and out of that 7,000 are serving life sentences. I never put much thought into the amount of women incarcerated. I had always thought of prison being mostly male. Due to their violent and sporadic behavior compared to females. Women are receiving life sentences almost double the amount that males are. While the number of females incarcerated has grown so much you would think it would be slowing down but it is growing more rapidly now than ever before. According to the article females average four medical conditions and take 5 medications a day. This article shows that there is a huge mental health issue in the prisons. This is the first time I have ever read or heard anything about these statistics. I think something to this caliber should be more known by the public. The increase in prison populations and especially the female population in prisons is a big problem. I think women deserve better medical treatment and need to be taken care of more. The rates are rising and are showing no signs of slowing down which is a scary thing to see. Hopefully we figure a solution out soon. I think the public needs to be more informed on these statistics so we can make a bigger impact as a society. -wb002
Prison is harsh on the aging process and overall health of women. Women at the age of just fifty are considered elderly in the correctional systems. Fifty years old is really not that long to be alive and these women are hitting their fifties hard. The prison system is so harsh on these women that they are aging so incredibly rapidly. The lack of physical and mental care these women receive is truly why they are aging so harshly. It strikes a mental toll on many incarcerated women losing their parents to illness or death before being able to see them again. The mothers in prisons hearts ache for their children they do not get to see grow up. Today we have nearly 219,000 women serving time in correctional facilities. Shocking data tells us that women are receiving the life sentence at double the rate as males. Why is this? Females in the system have more chronic medical disorders, psychiatric problems, and drug dependence problems before incarceration than males. Women also seek care for these problems two and a half times more than the men in prison. The collected data we have on the healthcare of women in prisons is very limited. Fortunately for the federal facilities, women are guaranteed treatment for childbirth related care, mental, physical, and substance related illnesses. We need to find an answer for these women. It is unacceptable to lack the basic standards to even be healthy. These people may be locked up but they at least deserve decent health care. -KF001
I agree with this statement a lot. Only because it matches how the mental health and overall health of female inmates is being mistreated. I also agree with the visitation statement, like I said in my article we are treating some of the females with petty offenses the same way we are treating inmates whom are in for murder. Women are aging rapidly, just as rapid as females who are aging on the outside as well. Yes they committed mistakes but we are taking rights away in which they deserve. I think you also worded it a little bit better than mine because you stated the aging process of the female inmate, thank you.-as002
According to the article Aging in prison: The forgotten plight of women behind bars, about “219,000 women are now serving time in US prisons and jails. Did you know that in the article it also stated that 7,000 women are now serving a life sentence. Women's incarceration rates are rising rapidly. Imagine being a young woman in prison. It could be very challenging. One reason why is because we need feminine hygiene products and many more. This article is a good example of why the government should redo all jails to accommodate us women. Now of days we don't hear much about women in prison, why is that? One time on the news the police arrested a woman who was a first time offender for shoplifting. While waiting in jail they refused to give her feminine hygiene products and dismissed her from any phone calls. This really caught be be surprised because the police are supposed to serve and protect us. It breaks my heart everyday because there are older people in prison who need health assistance. Alice John was a young woman who was sent to prison for a drug related crime. She was given life in prison, and they basically treated her she didn't belong there. People who are serving time in prison should feel like their home, after all that is their home until the time is up. Ms. Johnson was not allowed frequent visits from her children. Both of her parents also died while in prison. The jail did not offer her any assistance going through her tough times. Also, did you know that the number of older women in prison is continuously growing. The cost to jail a person is at least $30,000-$60,000 depending on gender, age , and specific needs. These prisons and jails should really look into helping us women more. -Jas002
After reading this article, the first thing that gets my attention is the Bureau of Prisons facility in Carswell, Texas. A federal medical center with lack of instruments for medical needs. Alice Marie Johnson who spends her time in such facility is a proof that policy and practice of correctional institutions do not meet female needs such as specialized treatment, emotional support, and preventative care as they age behind bars. Also, Lisa Barry finds that women’s prison in Connecticut need a greater understanding of female inmates as they get aged. From 2018 Prison Policy Initiative report, there are about 219,000 women who are serving behind bars in the U.S alone and a quarter of those number are waiting for trials. Also, according to the Sentencing Project, there are almost 7,000 women who are serving a life sentence, and about two-thirds of these women will have the possibility of parole after serving two or more decades. Women also receives double the rate than males to receive life sentences. Majority of the survey about incarceration in the U.S focused on men than women who in need of more attention to health care. Women still do not get enough attention to medical condition even after the passing of 1976 constitutional rights to health care. The Bureau of Prisons cannot provide a trauma treatment program to female inmates until late in their incarceration. In all, jails and prisons need to research more to understand how to respond to the healthcare needs of women as they age behind bars. They require medical care two and a half times as male prisoners. -Cancun001
(Part 1) Before I get to the details of the article, there is actually one thing that irritated me. The way that the article started was extremely over dramatic (I am not trying to say that in a rude way. It was just the wording of the start of the article). Here is why I think so: Prisoners get treatment that is just below that of the poor. Cassie M. Chew writes about Johnson, the woman at the beginning of the article. Chew talked about how she had to get her dental implants pulled out because she was to be behind bars. Johnson was upset that they did not have the optimal care and was implying that they did not understand because she is a woman. That dental implant situation can happen to ANYONE male or female in prison BECAUSE as I said before Prison Health Care is just beneath that of the poor. -TanLionNala001
(part 2)Now to get to the facts: almost 7,000 women are serving a life sentence at prisons. They receive their life sentences later on in life which means that as their sentence goes by, the number of incarcerated women over 50 will increase. Sadly with this increase in incarceration for women, there is not an increase on research for female inmates. What the small amount of studies do show, is that women over the age of 56 has histories of victimization, high rates of mental health issues, and challenges with negotiating health care. It is also recommended that they receive diets with reduced sodium, recommended amounts of B-12 and calcium, as well as a treatment for menopausal hot flashes. They also receive reproductive care as well. -TanLionNala001
(part 3) On another note, when it comes to the age of female inmates...we ae not looking at chronological age...we are looking at mental age. They seem to have cognitive deterioration a lot faster than the general public. This is the result of trauma, substance abuse, domestic violence, etc. Finally, Women work on an emotional structure -- they need their families. When they are in prison, they normally make fake families and label each other “mother” “father” “son” “daughter” “sister” “brother” “aunt” ETC. Though this may help them cope behind bars. This is extremely stressful to their health when they cannot see their families and kids. It’s that caretaker aspect and nature that women have. It is more than a stereotype that the world sees and is actually an important mental care aspect that needs to be paid attention to. -TanLionNala001
Reading about Johnson’s medical issues made me very uneasy. It made me uneasy at the fact that in order for her to feel some sort of comfort, she had to remove her teeth, taking away how she saw herself and how people perceived her. I did find it powerful how they added that Kim Kardashian raised attention to this because it needed it, bad. I also like during the article how they don’t only add the struggles of her but also the women across the United States. Saying that, they add how women’s incarceration has uproared to 700%. That’s crazy in a lot of reasons due to the fact that a quarter are still awaiting trial. Things have changed over time. The women also explain how the thinness of the beds. “3 finger lengths”. In my opinion it is looked at as in humane. We are locking these women up not taking into account the women who possibly could have health issues from labor or anything that males don’t have to deal with. In my opinion also, we are not taking into account the different health issues that can arise with females and not with males. The women whom can not afford blankets sleep uncomfortable, in which they are probably not even sleeping. This mainly irritated me because these women are not animals, of course they committed mistakes but that does not strip them away from the humans that they are. In all, I feel this needs to be looked into deeply, because we should not be able to sweep this under the rug. In my opinion, people are still people, so why treat them less of a person for mistakes they have made? I feel this can be changed with the reform of incarceration as we attempt to guide ourselves towards rehabilitation and not incarceration. -as002
I have seen this article before, I never had enough time to finish and now that I have, I’ve definitely learned a lot. Being in prison is not easy, that’s why it’s prison. But I have a lot of different opinions on how things should be done. One of these opinions of mine has to deal with health, medical, and dental care. As you read this article you can hear the pain coming from Alice Marie Johnson. Women (usually) take pride in their personal hygiene and now that her teeth were ripped out of her, that makes women feel like nothing. It costs on an average 60k a year to house one inmate if not, a lot more. Do I agree with prisons getting “special” treatment, absolutely not, but they are humans and should be treated like one. Give them the extra care they need to live. Some interesting things that I read was, a quarter of women serving time in prisons and jails are awaiting trial. Data show women receive life sentences at double the rate of males and are receiving convictions later in life. Combined with the general aging of the U.S. population, these trends suggest that as the years of their sentences go by, the number of incarcerated women over age 50 will increase. Inmate surveys conducted periodically by the Bureau of Justice Statistics have indicated prevalence of more chronic illnesses and mental health disorders among prisoners. But the difficulty researchers face in getting inside prisons means that these self-reported surveys don’t have much comparable independent data. -PB001
Seems like alot of women are sitting in prison awaiting trial bc they can't afford bail.These days we are trying to figure out how to take care of the older prisoners? I was thinking come up with more social rehab programs or more reform teams to discuss social implications on the prisoner do to each circumstance. Maybe if a family member might take over custody of the inmate if released early.Ongoing senior care is such a big deal prison reform is such a big deal the politicians need to do more and enact with more laws to combat the problem. We would save money in costs in these people were not in prison. But how do we determine what is right and what is wrong? If we need to set more taxes for the woman to get the proper healthcare they need it would piss me off to raise taxes but somehow let them pay for it would be nice. I always liked the idea in the old days dump an inmate on an island and let them deal with their stuff on their own like they did in the early days in Australia. This way you wouldn't have to worry about healthcare they would be on their own. Why do women have to succumb to violence to get life and long sentences if the there was a male dominance in the household might have been a positive attribute to control over whatever the problem or crime would have arisen. Either way, no matter how you look at it prison reform is gonna take a lot of time and rethinking depending which legislator would want to talk about it. navy002
This article really reveals many factors of the women who are incarcerated in our Prisons. The numbers have been steadily rising for female incarceration despite over all incarceration numbers falling and that change is going to need to accommodated to the women who are incarcerated. When learning about the female population in prison, they are different than the males because they are more greatly impacted by mental conditions than the men, and this story really revealed it. Prisons have been accommodating a male majority for so long that they are not well equipped enough to ensure that a female can obtain proper care. The stress that Alice went through when losing her teeth could be detrimental to the rest of her sentence, enough to cause depression as well as cause her to act differently with the general population. With the new minimum sentencing laws being placed into affect the increase in incarceration for females continues to increase and it has increased drastically to 700% from the past 40 years. With the total number being roughly 219,000 we really need to ensure that all females are receiving the proper care in order to keep prisons from becoming even worse than they already are. A women who is pregnant before she enters a prison needs to be sure she and he baby will receive the proper care otherwise the risk of death will be amplified immensely, and just like Alice, that women would be undergoing tremendous emotional stress. -Blues001
This article provides some interesting insight into women in correctional facilities. It seems that from the health care concerns provided in the article and the statistics showing the increasing number of women going into correctional facilities that it’s a no brainer that many policies need to be looked at in order to address this problem. Although going on to say it’s a problem may not align with others thoughts regarding restitution over rehabilitation, it seems that as the population of incarcerated women increases, along with men, that this will just cost more and more money while draining people of their lives. In 2018 there were 219,000 women serving time in jails and prison in the US, that is quite a large amount and one, as we have seen from previous reading, has aligned with the fact that women are committing more crimes. The greying of America will be seen not just from the outside of prison walls but form the inside as well. It was interesting to read about how in one study done, 327 women, average age 56, had four chronic medical conditions and received five daily medications, had a history of victimization, high rates of mental health issues, and challenges with negotiating health care. This shows the challenges that women behind bars face and also shows that to keep these women behind bars is going to cost money. For violent offenses this seems like a necessary price but for crimes involving nonviolent offenses it seems that these costs would be quite hefty to say the least. Regardless of the crime, women who are ageing should be taken care of. Its hard to believe the amount of trouble that many of these women have gone through and are going through. Some of these women according to this article are 40 and can pass for 60. Their cognitive degeneration is faster than women outside of prison due to a history of drugs and abuse. While reading the various issues older women in prison face it really made me think about some of the charges that these women went to prison for, like Alice Johnson, and it doesn’t seem that the punishment fit the crime. ~PJWB001
In this article about women aging in prison, they give examples of how and why women are being mistreated in correctional institutions. In the article, they talk about a former inmate Alice Johnson who was just released last year in June. Johnson had a tough time while in prison, she even wrote about it in her book called Afterlife: My journey from Incarceration to Freedom. In the book, she states that the prison dentist had to remove all of her teeth because it was the only option. Hearing about how women can be treated in prison is awful because yes the did a crime and now they are paying for it but to be mistreated so harshly can take a toll on you. In the Crime Report article, it states that about a quarter of women in prison serving time are awaiting trial. It is crazy to think that many women are serving time in jails or prison but they haven't even gone to trial yet. They also talk about how women are receiving life sentences at double rate over men. Women convictions are slowly rising over male convictions because females have been committing more crimes over the years. A part of the article I found interesting was senators from New Jersey and Massachusetts are reintroducing the Dignity for Incarcerated Women Act, which would improve programming and visitations for inmates who have children. I liked this part of the article because it shows they are trying to better the relationship between the mother and child before she is released. Older women is prison who technically aren’t older but they look and feel older because of the conditions they go through. The Crime Report states that females have a higher rate of chronic medical disorders and psychiatric disorder when they are in prison. It’s sad to think that women in prison look older than they are because of the problems in the correctional facility. -HL001
The number of women in prisons has been increasing for the last few years and to me is very interesting, when I think of a criminal I automatically think of men due to their larger stature and anger outbursts. According to this article “Data show women receive life sentences at double the rate of males and are receiving convictions later in life.” To me this seems unbelievable because all the women I know, I could never see committing a violent crime, they all convey motherly figures. In that quote from the text it says “receiving convictions later in life,” this is the reason women need more health benefits than men in prisons. I find it very interesting that the prisons and jails are helping as much as they are with the different kind of foods some women need to be fed. The article also mentions that once women get into prison they seek medical help two and a half times more than men, to me this is because of all the constant hormonal changes women have, especially when they get older. I also find it very interesting that in the article it says how they are many inmates in their forty’s that are in much worse condition than much older people in the community. This is interesting to me because I have never heard of this many health problems with men in prisons, I would assume they both get mutual care? To me this article is very interesting and has many different facts about women in prisons that I never would have guessed as true. -LW001
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you are saying about how women need more health benefits than men. Women go through a lot as they get older. Their body starts to change in many different ways. From the time that puberty starts to the day women get old and bones start to become brittle. I feel that it depends on where the prison that someone is in for them to get decent health care. Not all prisons have the best record for giving good care. I wouldn’t say men don’t get the same attention as women for health care but with all the hormonal changes women need it just a lil bit more. Batman002
DeleteI think it's really a shame that older women aren't getting the proper care that they need. I fell so bad for the woman who had to have her teeth removed because of the poor care of that healthcare center, at the jail. We should really convince our legislatures, especially at the state level, to improve conditions at the state jails for everyone. Better facilities, benefits, and healthcare would be a great start for reforming these jails for the better. -OUTATIME002
DeleteFemale incarceration rates have been steadily rising, with that has come the realization that female inmates need different care than most men. Especially women that are in prison as they are aging. Most studies conducted on this matter are about male inmates. There was a study done in 2014 though,on 327 women averaging age 56, that were being incarcerated in 5 southern states. This study showed that female inmates, falling in the mid 50's age range, suffered an average of 4 medical conditions that were chronic. On top of that, they were averaging 5 medications a day, were historically victimized frequently, and they had a lot of concerns when it came to mental health. That is a lot of money going towards these women's needs just because their bodies are like those of 60 year olds at only 50 years old. An interesting fact that associates with this idea is that women, in general, suffer from mental health problems a lot more than men. So take that fact on top of the fact that these women are being put behind bars. It is a recipe for disaster. Female incarceration is a topic that needs to be learned more and more about, and I am excited to take part in that learning experience.-psych001
ReplyDeleteNot all prisons have the best record for giving good care. I wouldn’t say men don’t get the same attention as women for health care but with all the hormonal changes women need it just a lil bit more.I agree with what you are saying about how women need more health benefits than men. Women go through a lot as they get older. Their body starts to change in many different ways. From the time that puberty starts to the day women get old and bones start to become brittle. I feel that it depends on where the prison that someone is in for them to get decent health care. And health care isn’t like what most people get out of prison it’s normally the bare minimum. Which is sad because most people that are in prison are there for nonviolent offenses. And there were treated like animals because of a small crime. Batman001
DeleteThis article touches on mass incarceration on women and how they age in prison. In the article Alice Marie Johnson was an inmate at the Bureau of Prisons facility in Cardwell, TX. Alice Johnson was imprisoned for a car accident and was sentenced to life in prison. She had dental implants put in a long time before she was incarcerated. But because there was no way to maintain it they had to pull her teeth out. I understand that they did a crime but the prisoner is still human. If this was only one inmates experience while in prison imagine all the others people. Mass incarceration has grown significantly especially for woman. It’s says “about 219,000 women are now serving time in the United States prisons and jails.” Also, about 7,000 women are serving life sentences at prisons in states including California, Alaska, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland and Utah. It’s not surprising to think that women’s incarceration is higher than men now a days and how things going. I believe that women were always committing crimes. Men just didn’t think we could do such a thing on the men idea that some women are weak and field. Men always looked at women as a stay at home wife who helped with the kids, cook, and clean and ran earrings. Now that we have gender neutral laws they see us as equal to men. I once had a project in high school and we had to find a serial killer and explain what happened. There were female serial killers that dated back to the 1600s in this one book and the crimes they committed was smart but Kroul. Also we watched this old movie where this lady killed her husband and the officers never thought it would be her but the way she killed him was smart and well thought out.women out always with a lot of stuff back in the day such as crime but now the time has changed and we are seen as strong females. Batman001
ReplyDeleteThis article touches on mass incarceration on women and how they age in prison. In the article Alice Marie Johnson was an inmate at the Bureau of Prisons facility in Cardwell, TX. Alice Johnson was imprisoned for a car accident and was sentenced to life in prison. She had dental implants put in a long time before she was incarcerated. But because there was no way to maintain it they had to pull her teeth out. I understand that they did a crime but the prisoner is still human. If this was only one inmates experience while in prison imagine all the others people. Mass incarceration has grown significantly especially for woman. It’s says “about 219,000 women are now serving time in the United States prisons and jails.” Also, about 7,000 women are serving life sentences at prisons in states including California, Alaska, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland and Utah. It’s not surprising to think that women’s incarceration is higher than men now a days and how things going. I believe that women were always committing crimes. Men just didn’t think we could do such a thing on the men idea that some women are weak and field. Men always looked at women as a stay at home wife who helped with the kids, cook, and clean and ran earrings. Now that we have gender neutral laws they see us as equal to men. I once had a project in high school and we had to find a serial killer and explain what happened. There were female serial killers that dated back to the 1600s in this one book and the crimes they committed was smart but Kroul. Also we watched this old movie where this lady killed her husband and the officers never thought it would be her but the way she killed him was smart and well thought out.women out always with a lot of stuff back in the day such as crime but now the time has changed and we are seen as strong females. This article touches on mass incarceration on women and how they age in prison. In the article Alice Marie Johnson was an inmate at the Bureau of Prisons facility in Cardwell, TX. Alice Johnson was imprisoned for a car accident and was sentenced to life in prison. She had dental implants put in a long time before she was incarcerated. But because there was no way to maintain it they had to pull her teeth out. I understand that they did a crime but the prisoner is still human. If this was only one inmates experience while in prison imagine all the others people. Batman002
ReplyDeleteThrough the years the amount of women serving time in prison has skyrocketed. Since the 1980’s the amount of women incarcerated has increased a whopping 700%. There is now somewhere around 219,000 women serving time behind bars. Out of all the women serving time 7,000 of them are serving a life sentence. The article continues to say that women are receiving life sentences at double the rate as men. To me these statistics are insane, because I wouldn’t expect such a high increase in incarcerated women. I'm also surprised that women are receiving life sentences at double the rate as men. To get life in prison a serious crime has to be committed, and I would think that a crime of that altitude would be done by a male. The health of incarcerated women is often times forgotten about. In the last decade very few studies have been done over the heath of women in prisons. According to the article, “ female inmates averaged four chronic medical conditions and received five daily medications, had frequently histories of victimization, high rates of mental health issues and challenges with negotiating health care”. I find this interesting because this is the first time I’ve ever heard about the medical problems that the older prison mates go through. This has caught the attention of the Department of Justice, because the First Step Act was passed. When someone reaches the age of 50 in prison they are considered to be elderly. I find this weird, because both of my parents are 50 years old, and I don’t consider them anywhere near elderly. This really shows how much a toll prison has on someone's body, especially over the years. Many of the women who are incarcerated and have medical conditions often times had traumatic life experiences. This is no excuse for the crimes they committed this is just related to why some of the women need certain medications. Even though these women committed crimes I feel bad for the women who spend twenty plus years in jail for nonviolent crimes. Alice Johnson is an example of this, she spent twenty one years in jail for drug conspiracy charges. While being in jail she lost many years with her four children, and parents. I feel like this much time in prison over drugs is almost ridiculous, and that there are better ways to deal with this. -CRJB002
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on 50 being considered elderly. I also agree with you on how people are being treated because of what they did. No matter how bad the crime is people are still alive and deserve the proper healthcare . With the conviction of drug charges is also crazy to me on how these people get all these years. When there is more serious crimes being done.
DeleteThis article is a prime example of why we need to reform our jails to better help our inmate, especially older inmates. I think its staggering that there has been 700 percent increase in the population of female inmates. You honestly wouldn’t think women would be the ones to commit many crimes, typically it’s the men committing crimes. But the fact that women are receiving twice the life sentences as men is really interesting, just because you don’t expect women to commit those types of crimes. It thinks its really sad that these women will remain behind bars well into their 50s, combined with the fact that this number will increase is just unfortunate. Health care is really an issue at these prisons and jails, and it seems like older women aren’t getting the proper care that they need. The article included the figures from a 2014 study of 327 women, average age 56, suggested that these women had an average of four medical conditions and required five daily doses of medication. There was a Supreme Court decision in 1976 that gave inmates a constitutional right to receive healthcare, but the real issue is that there is no solid review on how this policy is being implemented and if inmates are actually being giving the proper care. All in all, there is still plenty of work to be done on reforming these prisons, especially on the healthcare side of things. I think that story of that woman who had to get her teeth pulled should not have happened if the dentist office was well equipped. We should really work to convince our legislators to improve conditions for all inmates, especially for older inmates. It will be difficult, but it can be done and for the sake of the inmates who need it, we really should get to work on making these prisons better for everyone. -OUTATIME002
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you on that we need to find ways to improve the health care for these inmates. I also found it interesting how they are receiving so many life sentences compared to men, we usually never realize how many women are actually committing crimes these days. Again with the health care, its sad that the treatment they are getting is not great, just because they have the right to receive it many places dont have good enough health care. I hope to one day see that there is a change in the care they are receiving and hopefully see a better outcome in the inmates. -wags002
DeleteI agree that it is every person’s right to receive healthcare. However, there needs to be clarification within the legislators as to what kind of healthcare they receive. It should be adequate enough for them to maintain as healthy a life as possible. The reports that the only option for Ms. Johnson was to have her teeth removed does not seem like the only feasible solution to her lower gum pain. The risks of infections, nutrition aspects and overall mental health should be addressed. While it may have seemed like only a cosmetic issue, she saw her teeth as part of her maintaining her dignity. Healthcare in prisons should be clearly defined. Theoretically, giving a person with stab wound a bandage could be considered health care. -Zen002
DeleteOne interesting thing I read in your response to the article was when you said women are getting twice the amount of life sentences and you thought that was interesting. I found it interesting that you felt sad that women committing those life sentence type crimes mostly felonies you felt bad they were going to be behind bars past their 50’s. I don’t necessarily feel bad for a man or woman who committed a felony enough to get a life sentence. I don’t mean to criticize and I could see how you possibly could have meant the people with very minor charges. You put that you feel sad for them, and right before you were talking about women that have committed crimes that are felons. I think that a woman that murders somebody deserves to spend their life in a cell. I think that we would both agree, someone who committed a minor crime and got a serious sentencing doesn’t deserve to spend their life in a cell, but the ones who committed more serious crimes. I don’t feel bad for them. Sorry if this comes off as a little harsh. Nothing against you I just felt iffy about that part of your response. Jorg002
DeleteWow, such a powerful article. These days we are trying to figure out how to take care of the older prisoners? I was thinking come up with more social rehab programs or more reform teams to discuss social implications on the prisoner do to each circumstance. Maybe if a family member might take over custody of the inmate if released early.Ongoing senior care is such a big deal prison reform is such a big deal the politicians need to do more and enact with more laws to combat the problem. We would save money in costs in these people were not in prison. But how do we determine what is right and what is wrong? If we need to set more taxes for the woman to get the proper healthcare they need it would piss me off to raise taxes but somehow let them pay for it would be nice. I always liked the idea in the old days dump an inmate on an island and let them deal with their stuff on their own like they did in the early days in Australia. This way you wouldn't have to worry about healthcare they would be on their own. Why do women have to succumb to violence to get life and long sentences if the there was a male dominance in the household might have been a positive attribute to control over whatever the problem or crime would have arisen. Either way, no matter how you look at it prison reform is gonna take alot of time and rethinking depending which legislator would want to talk about it. navy001
ReplyDeleteI agree that older prisoners especially women need to be taken care of better. I think those older inmates who have families to take custody of them once they are released could be a good idea. I think it's important for all inmates in general to have some kind of support group once they are released. The whole idea where dumping an inmate on some random island would never pass in today's society. I don't know all the details on how Australia did this back in the day, but it sounds pretty inhumane. This idea would end up being a worse solution than jail, because yes it would help with the overpopulation in prisons but would also send people away to die. -CRJB002
DeleteI can see where you are coming from with the idea of putting people on an island and it being more of a survivor of the fittest. Although when you think of it, all the families of the inmates would have major issues with their family being sent to an island alone. No matter what crime your family member did to get into prison, would you be alright with them being sent off to an island to fend for themselves? Even if it does save money and resources I don't think that idea could be possible especially in our day and age. It is a very interesting thought but that is my opinion on the situation. -wb002
DeleteThis article was really eye opening to how health care is for women these days. We always hear about the men going to prison and all that but what we dont hear much about is the huge increase of women going to prison. This article mentions that due to the likelihood the drug and property crime convictions have sparked the major increase of 700 percent of women inmates in the last four decades. There have always been women committing crimes but as the years go by it seems there are a lot more going to prison and staying there for long periods of time. The article also mentions from the 2018 PPI report there is "about 219,000 women now serving time...and almost 7,000 serving a life sentence." It blows my mind that this many women have committed crimes that were serious enough to get life. Its a new world out there and more women are committing crimes than before. With that being said I never really knew about the health care they were/are provided. It really shows how bad it is and that we need to improve it some how. Now I do believe that prison is a place to get sent to get a punishment for a crime however they are still human beings that need care. Some will never get the right rehabilitation that they need in these conditions. Women seem to have a harder time as in medical conditions in prison and it shows just how much of a toll prison takes to their being. Not to say it doesnt have an affect on men but women seem to go through a lot too. Its hard to get all the right treatment and everything for each female inmate but im sure there are ways to improve that. Another thing I learned was that there aren't as many facilities for the women, which should change due the major increase on women incarcerated. Overall female offenders are increasing while the healthcare seems to be decreasing, we need to find ways to help rehabilitate these women more. -wags002
ReplyDeleteI agree that women are being treated very poorly in the prison system, it's also true that it is hard for them to change from the person they were while being treated like they are not worth anything. The spike in crime from women definitely is something that a lot of people scratch their head about but I think it is just due to how different the world is from what it used to be. Women used to be respected by not only their significant others but also by the general public, and I feel that we are straying from those times due to women's rights movements which is also a a big cause of the flux in women going to jail as these movements do get violent at times. JU002
DeleteOne thing that really stood out to me from this article is, the prison nurses being surprised at the age of some of the inmates. I believe that, that alone is enough to show that these women are not being taken care of properly, or at least not being kept to the standard that they need to be at. Also, I believe that it is a bit ridiculous how they have let it come this far before deciding to bring actual attention to it. Women are known for having much greater medical needs, especially once they are above the age of 50 because their bodies just aren't as 'resilient' as men's and maybe that is why it has been overlooked, because the mind set that, if one group doesn't have a problem with it then neither does any other group, seems to be how things are approached. The amount of research done is shockingly low considering the amount of attention that has been brought upon the topic. The last study that actually had some type of push for better treatment of older women especially in prison was in 2014, where they studied 327 women, averaging around the age of 56 in 5 different prisons in the south. This found that most of the older women coming into the prisons were averaging at least four chronic medical conditions and were having to take 5 daily medications. This study still did not bring upon much change and wasn’t given much media attention even though it is on a very important topic. I don’t believe that the prison system is fair for any gender, race, or ethnicity, but after reading this it definitely made me realize just how neglected women are in this system, and I don’t believe that many people would think women have it hard, but truthfully they have is just as bad, if not worse than men do. JU002
ReplyDeleteI agree with you in every way. The women should be taken care of, yes, they are in prison, but they are still humans and deserve to be taken care of no matter what. I know that the nurse really shouldn’t be surprised though, they are nurses and need to understand that not everyone in prison will be young. It's also true that it is hard for them to change from the person they were while being treated like they are not worth anything. The spike in crime from women definitely is something that a lot of people scratch their head about but I think it is just due to how different the world is from what it used to be. Women used to be respected by not only their significant others but also by the general public. SH002
DeleteThe women in prison article gave me new information I didn't know about the prison system. The way they care for their inmates is sad. Its like they forget they are human beings and have needs to better their health. Being older in prison for a women is more serious compare to men on prsion. When it comes to their healthcare they seem to ge ignore the most. In the beginning of the article talking about how the women Kim Kardashian heled get out was mind blowing. Instead of heing her get new teeth they decided to just to take them. That shows how much they care about their inmates and cant afford the proper healthcare. These women need more than simple personal hygeine products like soap, toothpaste. Having something simple like a walker is hard for an inmate to get while in prison. I also learned that women over 50 years old need proper diets to help with their healthcare. Their is also a hand few of inmates refuse something simple like a mamaogram because they don't want to get up early or they are jsut scared. I learned that the popluation of female prisoners have increased a lot compare to the men. That being said since it has grown there are more costs when it comes to providing them the right health care they need. The stress of prsion also casues a healthcare concern. They have women in there who have children theycan't even help raise and younger inamtes who have parents who have cancer and can't help them. Prsion is supose to rehabilitate these women, they mentioned something aboout thereapy but it seems like it dosent help or they don't won't it. With the help of certain politcal leaders it seems there is some concern with these women. It just amazed me how in certain states have higher life sencteces compare to others. In conclusion to the article I have learned the mistreatment of women inmates due to lack of proper healthcare that can make their lives in prison more tolerable.When it comes to comfortable sleeping, hygeine, and overall haivng a healthy mental health.
ReplyDeleteI think your response to the article really touched a lot on what I learned and thought about it too! It’s so crazy to me that women are in there and being forgotten about. Not to mention losing their teeth and missing out on numerous other health care options. Like you said, they committed a crime but they are still humans. Women over 50 need a tremendous amount of special treatments; I couldn’t imagine my mom or grandma not having their medications needed to live or not being able to get something as simple as a walker. I also thought it was a good point how you said something about the women imprisoned having children that they can’t support or help raise because of this; it’s basically just continuing the cycle that way.
Delete--coffeeplease002
According to the article, Women in Prison, the women in the prison have a lot of needs and most prisons can’t provide for those needs and it’s just sad. The women in the prisons, are usually older. The prison nurses even are surprised about the ages of the women. I know that the women are not being well taken care of and it shows sometimes. Women over the age of 50, are the ones who mainly need the most attention. Mainly mentally and medically. Some will never get the right rehabilitation that they need in these conditions. Women seem to have a harder time as in medical conditions in prison and it shows just how much of a toll prison takes to their being. Not to say it doesn’t have an effect on men but women seem to go through a lot too. It’s hard to get all the right treatment and everything for each female inmate but I’m sure there are ways to improve that. Due to the likelihood the drug and property crime convictions have sparked the major increase of 700 percent of women inmates in the last four decades. There have always been women committing crimes but as the years go by it seems there are a lot more going to prison and staying there for long periods of time. Now I do believe that prison is a place to get sent to get a punishment for a crime however they are still human beings that need care. The article included the figures from a 2014 study of 327 women, average age 56, suggested that these women had an average of four medical conditions and required five daily doses of medication. There was a Supreme Court decision in 1976 that gave inmates a constitutional right to receive healthcare, but the real issue is that there is no solid review on how this policy is being implemented and if inmates are actually being giving the proper care. SH002
ReplyDeleteI thought the same as you do. They should and try to fix things in the jail to help the inmates out so they could get what they need as of health care related. I liked how they actually put the studies on the article because it gives us a look back on how many female inmates are needing help. I didn't know what "Undue Familiarity" was till read what was underneath it. Softball002
DeleteThe plight of women in the prison population is a delicate and growing problem within prison system. Women pose a unique issue within the prison system and their health concerns should be addressed on a wide scale. According to a study, there is an estimated 219,000 women currently in prison and the majority of the women are in prison for drug and property crimes. The alarming fact is there are approximately 7,000 women serving life sentence. Women receive double the amount of life sentences than men and it is often when they are at an older age. Perhaps it’s the concepts that many people are more horrified by women committing acts of violence than men. Because they are convicted later in life, this amplifies the need for medical care. Many of these women may go through menopause in prison. While this is a difficult time for most women, it’s difficult to think how those symptoms are managed in prison. Many remedies are just simply not available to women in prison. Regardless of crimes committed, everyone is entitled to adequate and humane health care. Some may argue that since they committed a crime, they must do the appropriate time. Recently, there was the story of a woman that was forced to give birth in a cell alone. This is an extreme case but it highlights the need for consistent and stable healthcare in the prison system. Mental health is another area that should be addressed. The majority of women unlike their male counterparts have experienced traumatic life experiences including being victims of domestic, sexual and physical abuse. As a result there are accompanying mental health aspects that the women should be treated for in prison. Often these are seen with anxiety and change when having to leave the prison facility for routine medical exams such as mammograms. The issue of humane care really needs to be addressed with legislators on all levels. –Zen002
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that the humane care of prisoners must be addressed with legislators on all levels, and the idea that everyone is entitled to adequate and humane health care. Yet another unfortunate aspect to this entire health/mental health problem is that nationwide there is a shortage of nurses and medically trained staff even for hospitals, let alone prisons. I feel this in many ways negatively impacts the process for everyone involved in treatment. One medical professional may spend too much time with one "elderly" inmate to adequately address her problems yet this in itself is cutting into another inmates time to be seen. Thus the circle of negligence goes on and on to the point where timely and humane treatment seems impossible. I think that rather prisons could showcase their medical positions more lucratively in an attempt to bring in an acceptable amount of hands to tackle this problem. -CamSlifton002
DeleteI believe these pilot studies are very important to observing and and addressing the rights to healthcare that inmates are granted under Estelle V. Gamble. I found it particularly shocking that for the last four decades women have had an increased likelihood, double that of men, of receiving life sentences for drug and property crimes. I was always under the false impression that statistically women received lighter sentences than men. It is unfortunate that the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) does not require the same training for its executive staff that it requires for its medical staff. I feel that this is the heart of the issue in why these women experience such significant traumas and senses of neglect. Out of sight out of mind. I also sense that more than anything this may be a financial issue which I don't think the article touches on. With women being still a smaller minority in the correctional system and with an ever expanding incarceration rate it may be economically unfeasible to be able to provide all the necessary requirements these women desire in the confines of the prison itself. Yet even when these institutions take the responsibility to transport these women to facilities where their needs can be met, they fight them about going. While sad and upsetting that they'd rather suffer illness than deal with the anxiety associated with the court bus full of younger females I can't help but at a certain point not feel sorry for them. The article attempts to showcase how these women feel emotional stress about not being able to care for aging family members, yet they themselves committed the crime which landed them in this very state. It would be beneficial for everyone if these studies where more numerous however, because it is distressing to me when I hear that women aged 50 can be considered elderly. While not every solution to these problems may not be economically believable, for a large group of persons aged 50 to expense such cognitive decline displays a level of neglect or abuse that is not being addressed. -CamSlifton002
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with the points you made. I feel inmates are being neglected to a certain extent, but i can't give an exact reason why. It could be because some are criminals, killers, burglars, or if they just do not care. Either way it's not fair and dehumanizing because as you said they are still humans with the same rights as every one else.
DeleteReading this article really makes me understand not only how capable women are of committing crimes, but also how much more these institutions need to improve their care and treatments towards incarcerated women. There is very limited research on incarcerated women most surveyed women were above the age of 50 according to "limited research on female inmates". Regardless of age all inmates need the best medical attention that can be provided because they are still human beings that rely on the same care innocent people do. After the First Step Act a certain amount of 75 million dollars were supposed to be allocated to the agency to help meet the need of female inmates. While that was the plan none of the proposals reflect the health care needs of older women. Which is crazy because incarcerated women in prison are sicker than non-incarcerated women,and they have higher rates of disorders, and drug dependence than men before receiving their sentences according to "National Institute on Corrections". the study in 2014 that included 327 women, with an average age of 56, said these women had an average of four medical conditions that were required to take 5 doses of medication daily. Fortunately for the unfortunate the decision on Estelle v Gamble allowed inmates to acquire a constitutional right to have health care. At the end of the day having read this article it has opened my eyes to the conditions the incarcerated are put through. Whether it is deserved or not is up to you, but if they are gonna spend most of their life in our prisons we should at the very least make sure we are taking care of the people we are forcing to reside in our prisons. wiseguy002
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with the points you made. I feel inmates are being neglected to a certain extent, but i can't give an exact reason why. It could be because some are criminals, killers, burglars, or if they just do not care. Either way it's not fair and dehumanizing because as you said they are still humans with the same rights as every one else. wiseguy002
ReplyDeleteOne thing I found interesting about this article, which may sound kind of rude, but these people are criminals. I think they do deserve the correct form of health care, but we focus on how a woman in prison lost her teeth, but we often forget about many other things. Like the aging outside of prison. The lady next door that has worked her whole life and now she can’t. She can’t afford a spot in a nursing home, because those are outrageous. She cant even afford to buy her monthly medicine. We have shifted our focus to how can we help these criminals be happy in prison, and I wonder why in the world can’t we help grandma get a ride to the grocery store, afterall she has only ever gotten maybe a ticket. I just think this is something interesting to think about. There is this huge trend of victimization. These poor prisoners that committed crimes are victims of poor health care. I guess overall I want to say, I know they’re human and they deserve healthcare. I do believe the people who haven’t been to prison deserve a better form of healthcare, but I guess I can only do my part in saying what I believe. Jorg002
ReplyDeleteCassie M. Chew talks about Alice Marie Johnson story. Alice had pain around her bottom teeth. She went to a prison dentist. The dentist gave her an option. That option was too pull her teeth out. According to Cassie M. Chew, “ Johnson's story offers a glimpse of how policy and practice at correctional institutions haven’t met the needs of female prisoners when they require specialized treatment.” In the prison population there is lack awareness. According to the Prison Policy Initiative, “ About 219,000 women are now serving time in U.S. prisons and jails." That is a lot of females serving their time in the facility. The women serving time are waiting for their trial. 7,000 women are serving life sentences. The states that the 7,000 women are serving life are California, Alaska, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, and Utah. There are five states that incarcerating women at the highest levels. Life sentencing for women are double the rate of males. In 2014 they did a study of 327 women. They found that the average age is 56 also found female inmates have four chronic medical conditions and takes five daily medications, have a history of victimization, also have a high rate of mental health, and challenges with health care. In 2015, prison used the same “ court run". This means that the bus picks up the inmates from the state's courthouse to transport outside the facilities. Softball002
ReplyDeleteThis article was very eye opening on just how much our prison systems need to change. It’s also very surprising to me that 219,000 women are involved in the prison and jail systems. Whenever I think of crimes that deserve or involve prison time my first thought is always that men are the ones responsible but so many times these days it is women committing these crimes. And on top of just spending years of their life in there, many inmates both young and old are not receiving the proper health care needs to live a humane life. The story at the beginning of the article regarding Alice Marie Johnson is very sad and cruel. She needed special cleanings to maintain her dental implants due to a car accident years earlier, and unfortunately she was only one decade into serving her life sentence when the prison dentist gave her one option: her teeth would need to be removed. “Despite being a designated federal medical center, the dental office at the Bureau of Prisons facility in Carswell, Tx., where she was expected to spend the rest of her life, didn’t have the instruments to maintain her implants.” – How sad is that? How could you intend to incarcerate a person for the rest of their life and not assume they will have medical issues like the rest of America’s elderly? It costs thousands and thousands of dollars to keep these inmates locked away and we still aren’t setting them up with proper medical instruments? If America intends to keep filling up their prisons and handing out life sentences then they need to prepare for the aging of their inmates. It is barbaric and inhumane to not give a person medical treatment when needed regardless if they committed a crime and are in prison.
ReplyDelete-coffeeplease002
It is disheartening knowing that these people are given long sentences or sentenced to life in prison and won't receive the medical help they need. I believe life sentences are necessary in certain circumstances, but the fact that so many are given that sentence without proper care towards medical treatment is concerning. -arm002
DeleteThis article went into more detail on women in corrections than I have ever heard; which isn't much. I found it very interesting how correctional facilities have started to label women prisoners as elderly once they reach the age of fifty. Fifty is not very old at all, but after reading this article you realize how hard prison life is on the women inmates. They face so much stress as soon as they are incarcerated. Women are stressed over not being able to take care of their children, older relatives, past trauma, and many other factors. These stressors cause the inmates to age at a much more dramatic rate than women living outside of prison with normal lives. The article stated that there are inmates that are forty that look older than sixty and that is incredibly terrible. This rapid aging could also be due to the fact that prisons are not very well equipped to handle females. There is very little study and not enough training to provide the inmates with everything they may need. The article had also said that women receive life sentences at double the rate of men. Why is that? The article does not go into much detail to explain why that is happening, but I wish it did. With life sentences, women are aging in the prison system and are needing more and more attention as they age. They will need assistance such as walkers, canes, and medical treatments. With everything the women inmates need and with how little we know about taking care of them, we need more research and definitely need to reform our prisons. -arm002
ReplyDeleteI was not aware of most of this information on women prisoners either. It is sad to think these women are aging so fast and harshly that fifty years old is considered elderly. Obviously something new needs to be done for the health and sanity of these women. It is crazy to think that women are recieving life sentences at double the rate of male offenders. I am not sure what the answer is for this either. Maybe this is due to the rise among equality and we are making up for missed time. Maybe we really do have a large percentage of women that deserve the life sentence and it is being recognized now.
Delete-KF002
The number of women behind bars over the last four decades has increased by 700 percent among conviction for drug and property crimes. According to the Prison Policy Initiative 2018 report, we have nearly 219,000 women serving time in the United States correctional facilities. Shocking data shows women have been receiving life sentences at double the rate as male convicts, and are also receiving more convictions later in life. Healthcare in the correction system is definitely not ideal, and the data we have on women in these systems in quite limited. In 1976 the Supreme Court took on Estelle v Gamble, which the decision gave inmates the right under the constitution to health care. Fortunately for federal facilities, women are guaranteed treatment for childbirth related care, physical, mental, and substance-related illnesses. The Center for Prisoner Health and observed that there is no proof whether care and the health services provided meet the national standards. U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker have taken notice of the healthcare issues and then recently reintroduced the Dignity for Incarcerated Women Act. This act is meant to improve visitation and programs for inmates with children, and aim to prepare them for when they shall return home. Aging women in prison are sicker than non-incarcerated women. Some correctional facilities classify inmates as the elderly around the age of fifty. Females in the system have more chronic medical disorders, psychiatric problems, and drug dependence problems before incarceration than males. Women also seek care for these problems two and a half times more than the men in prison. While incarcerated many women feel at a loss for their parents becoming sick or passing. Women who are mothers ache from not being able to watch their children grow. These burdens strike a toll on these women offenders. We need to do better for these women going through health problems with no reliable help.
ReplyDelete-KF002
It is definitely an issue in multiple ways that the number of incarcerated women has increased. Not enough research has gone into the needs of incarcerated women compared to men. The mental and physical aspects between the two vary wildly and what does not bother men can greatly bother women. Women's emotions are more easily affected and can lead them down even worse roads than men health-wise. Women have physical connections to their children as they carried them for months, so it is no surprise that they suffer more knowing they cannot watch them grow. Women need specialized treatments in jails and prisons compared to men, like Alice Marie Johnson. If a man had his teeth pulled, he may not have had the same reaction whereas Alice felt like her femininity was taken away as the smile she once had and loved was ruined from a poorly equipped jail dentist. - Gamma002
DeleteMore research needs to be done on the female convict so we can figure the main reason behind the massive seven hundred percent increase in female inmates. I feel that another question in this area is, what can be done to improve conditions for imprisoned women and what can be done to keep them from recidivism? Women deal with different physical and mental issues than men especially as they increase in age. As stated in the article, “While the majority focused on men, a 2014 study of 327 women, average age 56, incarcerated at prisons in five states in the South found female inmates averaged four chronic medical conditions and received five daily medications, had frequently histories of victimization, high rates of mental health issues and challenges with negotiating health care.” This begs for change whether it be more access to psychiatrists or therapists and access to better health care without the challenge of any form of negotiating. As women age, their health changes in very different ways than men, like issues with menopausal changes and the necessity of calcium and B-12 as well as a reduction of sodium. Thankfully changes are being made as the government is realizing the needs of female inmates. The article mentions, “Improving conditions for female inmates also has been trending since the passage of the First Step Act. The Department of Justice in July announced that it would use part of the $75 million Congress allocated to the agency to implement the December 2018 law to expand programs to meet the needs of female inmates.” Still, knowing this will require a lot of work and funding to continue giving female inmates the help they need. The article told “The data indicate that women aging in prison, like their male counterparts, are sicker than non-incarcerated women. Because of this, the National Institute on Corrections and some state prisons systems classify inmates at “elderly” when they turn age 50. Incarcerated females have higher rates of chronic medical disorders, psychiatric disorders and drug dependence before receiving a prison sentence than men. Once inside, they seek medical care two and a half times as often of male prisoners.” I believe if we use rehabilitation on younger women it should help with successful releases so that less women will be in jail and the ones in jail will be there long enough to age a lot. - Gamma002
ReplyDeleteGood job! I agree with everything you said. I think that prison is definitely harsh on the aging process. As women and men get older they start to need more assistance. These prisons are not willing to put in the extra work to help us. I think someone should crack down and look into who is being hired. It is extremely crazy that the number of women being incarcerated in increasing rapidly. Since they reintroduced the dignity for incarcerated women act they should enforce it more in these women prisons. I'm a young woman myself, and I could imagine being denied any feminine hygiene products. -Jas002
DeleteThe story about Alice Johnson and her dental problem was an eye opener for me. I always knew that prisoners didn't get the same medical attention that we do. The fact that the only option for her was to get all of her teeth removed is appalling. Even though some of these women do horrific crimes they are still all human and deserve better medical treatment than what they are getting now. The amount of women behind bars is insane to me. I had no idea that nearly 219,000 women were incarcerated and out of that 7,000 are serving life sentences. I never put much thought into the amount of women incarcerated. I had always thought of prison being mostly male. Due to their violent and sporadic behavior compared to females. Women are receiving life sentences almost double the amount that males are. While the number of females incarcerated has grown so much you would think it would be slowing down but it is growing more rapidly now than ever before. According to the article females average four medical conditions and take 5 medications a day. This article shows that there is a huge mental health issue in the prisons. This is the first time I have ever read or heard anything about these statistics. I think something to this caliber should be more known by the public. The increase in prison populations and especially the female population in prisons is a big problem. I think women deserve better medical treatment and need to be taken care of more. The rates are rising and are showing no signs of slowing down which is a scary thing to see. Hopefully we figure a solution out soon. I think the public needs to be more informed on these statistics so we can make a bigger impact as a society. -wb002
ReplyDeletePrison is harsh on the aging process and overall health of women. Women at the age of just fifty are considered elderly in the correctional systems. Fifty years old is really not that long to be alive and these women are hitting their fifties hard. The prison system is so harsh on these women that they are aging so incredibly rapidly. The lack of physical and mental care these women receive is truly why they are aging so harshly. It strikes a mental toll on many incarcerated women losing their parents to illness or death before being able to see them again. The mothers in prisons hearts ache for their children they do not get to see grow up. Today we have nearly 219,000 women serving time in correctional facilities. Shocking data tells us that women are receiving the life sentence at double the rate as males. Why is this? Females in the system have more chronic medical disorders, psychiatric problems, and drug dependence problems before incarceration than males. Women also seek care for these problems two and a half times more than the men in prison. The collected data we have on the healthcare of women in prisons is very limited. Fortunately for the federal facilities, women are guaranteed treatment for childbirth related care, mental, physical, and substance related illnesses. We need to find an answer for these women. It is unacceptable to lack the basic standards to even be healthy. These people may be locked up but they at least deserve decent health care.
ReplyDelete-KF001
I agree with this statement a lot. Only because it matches how the mental health and overall health of female inmates is being mistreated. I also agree with the visitation statement, like I said in my article we are treating some of the females with petty offenses the same way we are treating inmates whom are in for murder. Women are aging rapidly, just as rapid as females who are aging on the outside as well. Yes they committed mistakes but we are taking rights away in which they deserve. I think you also worded it a little bit better than mine because you stated the aging process of the female inmate, thank you.-as002
DeleteAccording to the article Aging in prison: The forgotten plight of women behind bars, about “219,000 women are now serving time in US prisons and jails. Did you know that in the article it also stated that 7,000 women are now serving a life sentence. Women's incarceration rates are rising rapidly. Imagine being a young woman in prison. It could be very challenging. One reason why is because we need feminine hygiene products and many more. This article is a good example of why the government should redo all jails to accommodate us women. Now of days we don't hear much about women in prison, why is that? One time on the news the police arrested a woman who was a first time offender for shoplifting. While waiting in jail they refused to give her feminine hygiene products and dismissed her from any phone calls. This really caught be be surprised because the police are supposed to serve and protect us. It breaks my heart everyday because there are older people in prison who need health assistance. Alice John was a young woman who was sent to prison for a drug related crime. She was given life in prison, and they basically treated her she didn't belong there. People who are serving time in prison should feel like their home, after all that is their home until the time is up. Ms. Johnson was not allowed frequent visits from her children. Both of her parents also died while in prison. The jail did not offer her any assistance going through her tough times. Also, did you know that the number of older women in prison is continuously growing. The cost to jail a person is at least $30,000-$60,000 depending on gender, age , and specific needs. These prisons and jails should really look into helping us women more. -Jas002
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this article, the first thing that gets my attention is the Bureau of Prisons facility in Carswell, Texas. A federal medical center with lack of instruments for medical needs. Alice Marie Johnson who spends her time in such facility is a proof that policy and practice of correctional institutions do not meet female needs such as specialized treatment, emotional support, and preventative care as they age behind bars. Also, Lisa Barry finds that women’s prison in Connecticut need a greater understanding of female inmates as they get aged. From 2018 Prison Policy Initiative report, there are about 219,000 women who are serving behind bars in the U.S alone and a quarter of those number are waiting for trials. Also, according to the Sentencing Project, there are almost 7,000 women who are serving a life sentence, and about two-thirds of these women will have the possibility of parole after serving two or more decades. Women also receives double the rate than males to receive life sentences. Majority of the survey about incarceration in the U.S focused on men than women who in need of more attention to health care. Women still do not get enough attention to medical condition even after the passing of 1976 constitutional rights to health care. The Bureau of Prisons cannot provide a trauma treatment program to female inmates until late in their incarceration. In all, jails and prisons need to research more to understand how to respond to the healthcare needs of women as they age behind bars. They require medical care two and a half times as male prisoners. -Cancun001
ReplyDelete(Part 1) Before I get to the details of the article, there is actually one thing that irritated me. The way that the article started was extremely over dramatic (I am not trying to say that in a rude way. It was just the wording of the start of the article). Here is why I think so: Prisoners get treatment that is just below that of the poor. Cassie M. Chew writes about Johnson, the woman at the beginning of the article. Chew talked about how she had to get her dental implants pulled out because she was to be behind bars. Johnson was upset that they did not have the optimal care and was implying that they did not understand because she is a woman. That dental implant situation can happen to ANYONE male or female in prison BECAUSE as I said before Prison Health Care is just beneath that of the poor.
ReplyDelete-TanLionNala001
(part 2)Now to get to the facts: almost 7,000 women are serving a life sentence at prisons. They receive their life sentences later on in life which means that as their sentence goes by, the number of incarcerated women over 50 will increase. Sadly with this increase in incarceration for women, there is not an increase on research for female inmates. What the small amount of studies do show, is that women over the age of 56 has histories of victimization, high rates of mental health issues, and challenges with negotiating health care. It is also recommended that they receive diets with reduced sodium, recommended amounts of B-12 and calcium, as well as a treatment for menopausal hot flashes. They also receive reproductive care as well.
Delete-TanLionNala001
(part 3) On another note, when it comes to the age of female inmates...we ae not looking at chronological age...we are looking at mental age. They seem to have cognitive deterioration a lot faster than the general public. This is the result of trauma, substance abuse, domestic violence, etc.
DeleteFinally, Women work on an emotional structure -- they need their families. When they are in prison, they normally make fake families and label each other “mother” “father” “son” “daughter” “sister” “brother” “aunt” ETC. Though this may help them cope behind bars. This is extremely stressful to their health when they cannot see their families and kids. It’s that caretaker aspect and nature that women have. It is more than a stereotype that the world sees and is actually an important mental care aspect that needs to be paid attention to.
-TanLionNala001
Reading about Johnson’s medical issues made me very uneasy. It made me uneasy at the fact that in order for her to feel some sort of comfort, she had to remove her teeth, taking away how she saw herself and how people perceived her. I did find it powerful how they added that Kim Kardashian raised attention to this because it needed it, bad. I also like during the article how they don’t only add the struggles of her but also the women across the United States. Saying that, they add how women’s incarceration has uproared to 700%. That’s crazy in a lot of reasons due to the fact that a quarter are still awaiting trial. Things have changed over time. The women also explain how the thinness of the beds. “3 finger lengths”. In my opinion it is looked at as in humane. We are locking these women up not taking into account the women who possibly could have health issues from labor or anything that males don’t have to deal with. In my opinion also, we are not taking into account the different health issues that can arise with females and not with males. The women whom can not afford blankets sleep uncomfortable, in which they are probably not even sleeping. This mainly irritated me because these women are not animals, of course they committed mistakes but that does not strip them away from the humans that they are. In all, I feel this needs to be looked into deeply, because we should not be able to sweep this under the rug. In my opinion, people are still people, so why treat them less of a person for mistakes they have made? I feel this can be changed with the reform of incarceration as we attempt to guide ourselves towards rehabilitation and not incarceration. -as002
ReplyDeleteI have seen this article before, I never had enough time to finish and now that I have, I’ve definitely learned a lot. Being in prison is not easy, that’s why it’s prison. But I have a lot of different opinions on how things should be done. One of these opinions of mine has to deal with health, medical, and dental care. As you read this article you can hear the pain coming from Alice Marie Johnson. Women (usually) take pride in their personal hygiene and now that her teeth were ripped out of her, that makes women feel like nothing. It costs on an average 60k a year to house one inmate if not, a lot more. Do I agree with prisons getting “special” treatment, absolutely not, but they are humans and should be treated like one. Give them the extra care they need to live. Some interesting things that I read was, a quarter of women serving time in prisons and jails are awaiting trial. Data show women receive life sentences at double the rate of males and are receiving convictions later in life. Combined with the general aging of the U.S. population, these trends suggest that as the years of their sentences go by, the number of incarcerated women over age 50 will increase. Inmate surveys conducted periodically by the Bureau of Justice Statistics have indicated prevalence of more chronic illnesses and mental health disorders among prisoners. But the difficulty researchers face in getting inside prisons means that these self-reported surveys don’t have much comparable independent data. -PB001
ReplyDeleteSeems like alot of women are sitting in prison awaiting trial bc they can't afford bail.These days we are trying to figure out how to take care of the older prisoners? I was thinking come up with more social rehab programs or more reform teams to discuss social implications on the prisoner do to each circumstance. Maybe if a family member might take over custody of the inmate if released early.Ongoing senior care is such a big deal prison reform is such a big deal the politicians need to do more and enact with more laws to combat the problem. We would save money in costs in these people were not in prison. But how do we determine what is right and what is wrong? If we need to set more taxes for the woman to get the proper healthcare they need it would piss me off to raise taxes but somehow let them pay for it would be nice. I always liked the idea in the old days dump an inmate on an island and let them deal with their stuff on their own like they did in the early days in Australia. This way you wouldn't have to worry about healthcare they would be on their own. Why do women have to succumb to violence to get life and long sentences if the there was a male dominance in the household might have been a positive attribute to control over whatever the problem or crime would have arisen. Either way, no matter how you look at it prison reform is gonna take a lot of time and rethinking depending which legislator would want to talk about it. navy002
ReplyDeleteThis article really reveals many factors of the women who are incarcerated in our Prisons. The numbers have been steadily rising for female incarceration despite over all incarceration numbers falling and that change is going to need to accommodated to the women who are incarcerated. When learning about the female population in prison, they are different than the males because they are more greatly impacted by mental conditions than the men, and this story really revealed it. Prisons have been accommodating a male majority for so long that they are not well equipped enough to ensure that a female can obtain proper care. The stress that Alice went through when losing her teeth could be detrimental to the rest of her sentence, enough to cause depression as well as cause her to act differently with the general population. With the new minimum sentencing laws being placed into affect the increase in incarceration for females continues to increase and it has increased drastically to 700% from the past 40 years. With the total number being roughly 219,000 we really need to ensure that all females are receiving the proper care in order to keep prisons from becoming even worse than they already are. A women who is pregnant before she enters a prison needs to be sure she and he baby will receive the proper care otherwise the risk of death will be amplified immensely, and just like Alice, that women would be undergoing tremendous emotional stress. -Blues001
ReplyDeleteThis article provides some interesting insight into women in correctional facilities. It seems that from the health care concerns provided in the article and the statistics showing the increasing number of women going into correctional facilities that it’s a no brainer that many policies need to be looked at in order to address this problem. Although going on to say it’s a problem may not align with others thoughts regarding restitution over rehabilitation, it seems that as the population of incarcerated women increases, along with men, that this will just cost more and more money while draining people of their lives. In 2018 there were 219,000 women serving time in jails and prison in the US, that is quite a large amount and one, as we have seen from previous reading, has aligned with the fact that women are committing more crimes. The greying of America will be seen not just from the outside of prison walls but form the inside as well. It was interesting to read about how in one study done, 327 women, average age 56, had four chronic medical conditions and received five daily medications, had a history of victimization, high rates of mental health issues, and challenges with negotiating health care. This shows the challenges that women behind bars face and also shows that to keep these women behind bars is going to cost money. For violent offenses this seems like a necessary price but for crimes involving nonviolent offenses it seems that these costs would be quite hefty to say the least. Regardless of the crime, women who are ageing should be taken care of. Its hard to believe the amount of trouble that many of these women have gone through and are going through. Some of these women according to this article are 40 and can pass for 60. Their cognitive degeneration is faster than women outside of prison due to a history of drugs and abuse. While reading the various issues older women in prison face it really made me think about some of the charges that these women went to prison for, like Alice Johnson, and it doesn’t seem that the punishment fit the crime. ~PJWB001
ReplyDeleteIn this article about women aging in prison, they give examples of how and why women are being mistreated in correctional institutions. In the article, they talk about a former inmate Alice Johnson who was just released last year in June. Johnson had a tough time while in prison, she even wrote about it in her book called Afterlife: My journey from Incarceration to Freedom. In the book, she states that the prison dentist had to remove all of her teeth because it was the only option. Hearing about how women can be treated in prison is awful because yes the did a crime and now they are paying for it but to be mistreated so harshly can take a toll on you. In the Crime Report article, it states that about a quarter of women in prison serving time are awaiting trial. It is crazy to think that many women are serving time in jails or prison but they haven't even gone to trial yet. They also talk about how women are receiving life sentences at double rate over men. Women convictions are slowly rising over male convictions because females have been committing more crimes over the years. A part of the article I found interesting was senators from New Jersey and Massachusetts are reintroducing the Dignity for Incarcerated Women Act, which would improve programming and visitations for inmates who have children. I liked this part of the article because it shows they are trying to better the relationship between the mother and child before she is released. Older women is prison who technically aren’t older but they look and feel older because of the conditions they go through. The Crime Report states that females have a higher rate of chronic medical disorders and psychiatric disorder when they are in prison. It’s sad to think that women in prison look older than they are because of the problems in the correctional facility. -HL001
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