Medical Neglect of Women in US Prisons

The Issue: Medical Neglect of Women in US Prisons Women are often denied essential medical resources and treatments, especially during times of pregnancy and/or chronic and degenerative diseases. • Failure to refer seriously ill inmates for treatment and delays in treatment Women inmates suffering from treatable diseases such as asthma, diabetes, sickle cell anemia, cancer, late-term miscarriages, and seizures have little or no access to medical attention, sometimes resulting in death or permanent injury. Instances of failure to deliver life-saving drugs for inmates with HIV/AIDS has also been noted. • Lack of qualified personnel and resources and use of non-medical staff There is too few staff to meet physical and mental health needs. This often results in long delays in obtaining medical attention; disrupted and poor quality treatment causing physical deterioration of prisoners with chronic and degenerative diseases, like cancer; overmedication of prisoners with psychotropic drugs; and lack of mental health treatment. The use of non-medical staff to screen requests for treatment is also common. • Charges for medical attention In violation of international standards, many prisons/jails charge inmates for medical attention, on the grounds that charging for health care services deters prisoners from seeking medical attention for minor matters or because they want to avoid work. In some supermaximum prisons, where prisoners cannot work at all, the US Justice Department has expressed concern that charging prisoners impedes their access to health care. • Inadequate Reproductive Health Care In 1994, the National Institute of Corrections stated that provision of gynecological services for women in prison is inadequate. Only half of the state prison systems surveyed offer female-specific services such as mammograms and Pap smears, and often entail a long wait to be seen. • Shackling During Pregnancy Shackling of all prisoners, including pregnant prisoners, is policy in federal prisons and the US Marshall Service and exists in almost all state prisons. Shackling during labor may cause complications during delivery such as hemorrhage or decreased etal heart rate. If a caesarian section is needed, a delay of even 5 minutes may result in perment brain damage to the baby. Pperceived sexual orientation was chosen as the most likely personal characteristic to bias a juror against a defendant, three times greater than race. (National Law Journal 11/2/98.) • The case of Robin Lucas depicts how sexual identity may subject a woman to further abuse or torture by a guard. She was placed in a men’s prison where male guards allowed male inmates to rape her. The male guards taunted her about her same sex relationship, saying to her “maybe we can change your mind”. See also Amnesty International USA’s “The Issue: Discrimination Based on Gender, Race and Sexual Orientation” and “The Issue: The Impact on Children of Women in Prison”. For the report, “Not Part of My Sentence: Violations of the Human Rights Of Women in Custody” and for information on women’s human rights, visit the Women’s Human Rights Program at www.amnestyusa.org/women or call (212) 633-4292