Women Prisoners' Experiences and Perceptions of Participating in Research

Background and Purpose: Women are the fastest growing population in US prisons with the number of women in prisons increasing at a rate double that of men (Drapalski, Youman, Stuewig & Tangery, 2009; Sabol, Minton, & Harrison, 2007). More research is needed to create more effective programs for women prisoners, yet research in the prison setting has many challenges. The research process within prisons has largely considered researchers’ perspectives (e.g., Cislo & Trestman, 2013; Fox, Zambrana, & Lane, 2011; Moser et al., 2004; Schlosser, 2008; Quina et al., 2007). Only one study has explicitly examined prisoners’ perceptions of participating in research (Copes et al., 2012). Currently, no research has examined the experiences of women prisoners’ participating in research. This study seeks to address this gap in the literature by examining women prisoners’ thoughts and experiences about participating in a research study.

Methods: This study is part of a larger study examining women prisoners’ experiences of victimization. The qualitative component exploring the women’s experiences and perceptions of research was at the conclusion of the survey which interviewers administrated and recorded women’s responses. Women were asked what their experience with the study was like, the feelings they had while answering questions, feelings at the end of the study, what was helpful and unhelpful, and their willingness to participate in future research. Study data are responses from 176 women in two prisons in North Carolina. As audio recordings of women’s responses was not feasible within the prison, data are the interviewers’ detailed notes that included direct quotes when possible. The research team conducted a thematic analysis using NVivo10.

Results: The women interviewed were overwhelming positive about participating in the study and the vast majority shared that they would be willing to participate in a future similar study. Participants expressed that they enjoyed sharing their stories and appreciated being listened to by the interviewers. Women said being in the study felt like an opportunity to help others to understand women who are incarcerated as well as to help ensure that more programs could be designed to meet the needs of women prisoners. Participants largely reported positive feelings at the conclusion of the study. Some reported that discussing some topics stirred up emotions and memories that were painful to remember. Specifically, women identified discussing sexual abuse as hard. Similarly, some participants mentioned difficulty talking about other forms of victimization and drug abuse. Participants emphasized the benefits of participating in the research despite it being difficult to talk about certain topics.

Conclusions and Implications: The study findings are similar to those of Copes et al. (2012) who examined male prisoners’ perceptions of participating in research. Women in prison expressed feeling positive about participating in research even though some found it difficult to answer questions on topics about victimization. They perceived taking part in a research study as an opportunity to help others and to be heard. While there are challenges to conducting research in a prison setting, women prisoners perceived many benefits of participating in research.