Health Promotion Body Maps of Criminalized Woman

Abstract

Health promotion is the process of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve, their health. For criminalized women, opportunities to engage in health-promoting activities are obstructed by factors related to the context of their lives prior to and during incarceration. The purpose of this study was to gain insight into criminalized women’s health and their access to health information and services. Thematic data analysis of body maps and interview transcripts revealed a central theme related to barriers and facilitators to health resources as contingent on being “inside” or “outside” of the incarceration setting. Incarceration holds the possibility for women to access health care not readily available in the community, or because women were not in the position to receive supports. The absence of timely health-promoting practices while incarcerated could be characterized as missed opportunities to support this marginalized, underserved population.