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Background: Mental health conditions and physical health conditions among those who are justice-involved are significantly greater than their counterparts in the general public (Morgan et al., 2014). Justice-involved people face several factors that impact their psychological issues, including elevated rates of anxiety, stress, depression, loneliness, and self-esteem and insecurity issues (Psychou et al., 2019). Considering these disparities in health and well-being, this study examined the health rating scores of young women who were incarcerated in prison and releasing to their communities. Due to current policies in many correctional settings, individuals who are incarcerated may face challenges in engaging in both positive physical and holistic lifestyle choices.
Methods: Data was collected from a larger study that assessed women who were incarcerated in a Florida prison and investigated the impact of a holistic physical activity intervention prior to their release into their neighboring communities (N = 22). Baseline data inquired about sleep, physical activity, and health. The average age of participants were about 30 years old and was moderately representative of the general population by race and ethnicity.
Results: Though the Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends about 30 minutes of walking per day, only one-third of the sample reported that there was at least one day a week in which they walked for at least 10 minutes. Over half of the sample (59%), do not engage in any moderate intensity physical activity per week. Only 27% of respondents achieved the recommended minimal seven hours of sleep per night over the past month. For all participants, the amount of time that it took to fall asleep ranged from zero to ninety minutes.
Conclusion / Implications: While these findings are relevant to correctional facilities to bring awareness to the health needs of women who are incarcerated, there is ample opportunity to allow the blending of practice and policy to target health. Potential environmental changes include implementing procedural adjustments in facilities to support more consistent sleep patterns. Changes include accounting for shift changes, mealtime windows, exercise opportunities, and programming. Further, adjusting policy in the carceral setting can ripple into practice pivots, ultimately encouraging a holistic approach to improving mental and physical health, and overall wellbeing. For this population and within the carceral environment, practice changes cannot be successfully upheld without targeting policy.