Table 2.
Activities of the prison participatory research team (November 2005-July 2007).
| Health goal identified by the prison participatory research processes | Education presentations§ created and given by incarcerated women peer researchers (number) | Surveys§ designed by incarcerated women peer researchers | Interventions created by incarcerated women peer researchers | Initiatives introduced by prison warden and/or prison staff |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Improved health and disease knowledge | Addictions (10) Mental health (6) Diseases of interest (6) | Smoking Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Shop lifting | Created smoking cessation aids and resources for peers Proposal to create health self-learning modules | Prison staff retrieved Internet health education for incarcerated women peer researchers |
| Improved awareness and integration of health | Aboriginal culture (8) Spirituality and therapy (6) Physical health (5) | Sleep issues Health status and resources Physical fitness Gathered health info for Webpage§ | Wrote proposals to the warden for healthy food on canteen and sunglasses for outside work Developed and implemented a 6-week pilot nutrition and exercise programme Wrote letters to assist women upon release (requesting 1-year pass for community centres and library cards) Running group Purchase of cardio gym equipment Horticulture programme, to learn to grow food | Yoga classes Herbal teas to improve sleep Oatmeal on units as a healthy snack |
| Increased access to stable and safe housing | Homelessness and housing (2) | Homelessness and housing | Designed a housing proposal for women upon release Wrote letters (newspapers, philanthropists, policy makers, funders) Collaborated in writing a housing funding application+ | Hosted a prison university-community forum to brain-storm ideas about housing for incarcerated women |
| Improved dentition and oral health | Oral and dental care | Dental | Wrote letter (to university dentistry faculty) | Contacted dental hygienist school |
| Improved relationships with children, family and partners | Parenting skills (4) Interpersonal family relationships (6) | Prison mothers and their children Art therapy evaluation | Researched therapeutic options for healing of abuse and trauma Requested art therapy sessions | Parenting courses, and mothers and babies prison programme Collaborated with public health unit & resources¥ |
| Improved access to individualized health care | Requested meeting with prison health care staff to discuss concerns | Prison health care staff provided regular walk-about rounds of all living units, downloaded Internet health information for women ‘hygiene and hand washing’ tutorial and ‘health orientation’ for women upon arrival | ||
| Increased job skills, relevant education and employment | Employment readiness (4) Literacy (1) | Weekly skills acquisition Computer use | Mentored each other in computer skills Invited/hosted university researchers to facilitate research skill workshops Webpage§ design Gathered employment info. for Webpage§ | Aboriginal Studies# Collaborated with Employment Agency |
| Increased ability to contribute to society | Requested that ‘research team work’ become a prison work placement Hosted/organized prison health research forums Created Webpage§ Visited Gr 11 students Authored publications, presented at conferences, taught HIV course (see§) Gathered community volunteer info- Webpage§ | |||
| Improved peer and community support | Inter-personal support and mentoring among women of the research team Leaving prison transitions (2) Support inside prison (4) Peer support (2) | Appropriate behaviour Prison new research team member demographics Developed Webpage§ = resource upon release Gathered community resource info - Webpage§ | Inter-personal support and mentoring among women of the research team Invited Head of BC Parole Board to dialogues at prison research forum Proposal for clothing upon release |
§ For mote information, see Webpage created by incarcerated women = http://www.womenin2healing/org.
# Aboriginal Studies is a for credit course offered to all women in the prison. It is taught by co-author LLC of Nicola Valley Institute of Technology.
+ A local Employment Agency attended several prison health research forums and facilitated women to create their curriculum vitae and to find employment upon release.
¥ A local family resources centre facilitated parenting courses for women in prison+The director of a BC branch of the Elizabeth Fry society attended several prison health research forums and compiled women's voices and opinions into their funding application for supported female housing units.