Życie kobiet — więźniarek w obozie Auschwitz-Birkenau

The book by Halina Rusek Koleżanki z Birkenau. Esej o pamiętaniu [Friends from Birkenau: An essay on remembering] published by the University of Silesia is a kind of diary about the life of women in the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. The author describes the fate of her mother and her friends confined in one of the most horrific war camps. This publication, apart from descriptions and memories of female prisoners, contains original letters and photographs collected by families, which allows the reader to refer to the past more directly. The book was divided by the author into chapters which intensify the women’s experiences: from pre-war times through the war period to regaining freedom and returning to their family homes. Reading the book, one gets to know the early life of young girls who were unexpectedly captured and transported to the concentration camp. Their fates are intertwined with the struggle for existence, forced labour, camp experiences and the anticipated freedom. Important throughout the book is the documentation collected by the families of the prisoners. Post-war letters, mutual contacts, feelings and family memories make the reader feel close to the characters. The author tries to describe the lives of girls coming from different regions of Poland, whose fates were intertwined with each other. The book shows different ways in which the female prisoners were treated, based on their nationalities. In an attempt to make camp life more real for the reader, the author refers to prison correspondence. Halina Rusek’s publication shows young readers how important it is to remember the past and what concentration camps were.

Turn the pain and affliction into thinking about the beauty

The article reflects on the importance of opposing Polish women - prisoners of the German Nazi concentration camp FKL Ravensbrück - to the practices of the German authorities (guards and medical staff of this camp) used against prisoners. One of the forms of opposing the totalitarianism of the Third Reich was secret teaching. At FKL Ravensbrück, female teachers taught fellow prisoners - “the rabbits”. This term was used to describe the women who underwent medical experiments in the camp: 74 Polish women and 12 women of other nationalities. Professor Karolina Lanckorońska found herself in the camp's conspiratorial teaching staff. The source base for the analysis are the war memories of female prisoners, including Dr. Wanda Półtawska and Dr. Urszula Wińska. The summary shows the issue of the protection of values by people subjected - against their will - to life in extreme conditions.

The Penrose hypothesis in the second half of the 20th century: investigating the relationship between psychiatric bed numbers and the prison population in England between 1960 and 2018–2019

Background NHS Psychiatric beds comprise mental illness and intellectual disability beds. Penrose hypothesised that the number of psychiatric in-patients was inversely related to prison population size. Aims To ascertain whether the Penrose hypothesis held true in England between 1960 and 2018–2019. Method A time-series analysis explored the association between total prison population and NHS psychiatric beds; this was also tested for the male and female prison populations, using non-psychiatric beds as a comparator. Associations were explored with time lags of up to 20 years. Linear regression was conducted to estimate the size of the effect of bed closures. Results NHS psychiatric beds decreased 93% and the prison population increased 208%. A strong (r =−0.96) and highly significant negative correlation between these changes was found. Annual reduction in psychiatric bed numbers was associated with an increase in prison population, strongest at a lag of 10 years. The closure of mental illness and intellectual disability beds was associated with increases in female prisoners 10 years later. The only significant explanatory variable for the increase in male prison population was intellectual disability bed reduction. Conclusions The Penrose hypothesis held true between 1960 and 2018–2019 in England: psychiatric bed closures were associated with increases in prison population up to 10 years later. For every 100 psychiatric beds closed, there were 36 more prisoners 10 years later: 3 more female prisoners and 33 more male prisoners. Our results suggest that the dramatic increase in the female prison population may relate to the closure of NHS beds.

Epidemiological, clinical and imaging characteristics of female prisoners with definite COVID-19 in a prison in the southwest, Iran, 2020

Purpose Prisoners are at greater risk of infectious diseases compared to the general population. While imprisoned, it is often difficult to observe Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) prevention strategies such as social distancing. To the authors’ knowledge, no study has been conducted worldwide to examine the condition of female prisoners with COVID-19. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the epidemiological, clinical and imaging characteristics of prisoners with COVID-19 in Ahvaz Women’s Prison (southwest, Iran). Design/methodology/approach The data for this descriptive cross-sectional study was collected using a checklist including epidemiological information, clinical symptoms, X-ray and computed tomography scan findings of the chest, underlying diseases and the final status of all female prisoners whose COVID-19 test was positive. Findings This study included 139 female prisoners with COVID-19 with a mean age of 37.19 ± 12.67 years. The most common underlying diseases were hypertension (14.4%), obesity (10.8%) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (9.4%). The most common symptoms at the onset of the disease were myalgia (59.0%), cough (41.0%) and dyspnea (37.4%). The most common radiological symptoms were ground-glass opacity (12.9%) and atelectasis (7.2%). In terms of extension of involvement, both lungs were involved in 8.6% of patients. In terms of zonal involvement, the lower lobes were more involved (8.6%). In terms of involvement position, the most common was sub-pleural (10.1%). None of the patients died. Originality/value Because the incidence, morbidity and mortality rate of COVID-19 in the prison population are likely to differ from those of the public. This study sought to investigate the situation of prisoners with COVID-19 in Ahvaz Prison, Khuzestan Province. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first worldwide study in this regard in women’s prisons.

Giving Mirrors to Female Prisoners in Alice Birch’s [BLANK]

The paper at hand attempts to interpret a contemporary British playwright’s theatrical artistic attempt to present a disturbing social issue and to suggest possible modes of help. In [BLANK], Alice Birch confronts the audience with the ugly cycle of women’s criminal conducts, female criminals’ offending and reoffending. The playwright employs the theater of the absurd as a theatrical medium through which she portrays the absurd reality of these female criminals and their families. To confront and shock the audience with the ugliness of these charterers’ reality, Birch uses In-Yer-Face theater. Birch suggests that the female criminal characters are victims who need proper psychological and medical rehabilitation services to break the ugly cycle of reoffending. The playwright implies a very challenging question for the audience: is it possible to break some patterns of some biological genetic behaviors? That is, can female criminals, in [BLANK], break away from their criminal behaviors that are biologically innate through the help of medicine and psychology not just through some practices of traditional stigmatizing forms of discipline and punishment in the justice system that are often proven to be unreliable means of constraint? By shocking and confronting society with the ugly reality of many female prisoners, in [BLANK], Birch is trying to give these pathetic female characters’ voices, mirrors, selves, forcing society to acknowledge them as human beings who have an essential role in society.

Peran Lembaga Pemasyarakatan dalam Memenuhi Hak Narapidana Perempuan Hamil dan Pasca Melahirkan

The correctional system is a coaching effort carried out in correctional institutions in Indonesia, the guidance is intended for inmates who commit criminal acts and are sentenced to prison. In the coaching process, the inmates are protected and nurtured by correctional officers and their rights are protected as citizens. The purposes of this study are to reveal the rights of pregnant and postnatal female prisoners in the correctional facility as well as the implementation of granting the rights of pregnant and postnatal women inmates to women's prisons class II A Kerobokan. The research method used is empirical legal research with a sociological juridical approach. The technique of collecting legal materials is obtained directly through respondents or sources. Primary and secondary sources of legal materials were analyzed using descriptive analysis techniques. This study concludes that prisons have an important role in protecting and fulfilling the rights of prisoners themselves, especially pregnant and postpartum women, the protection of these rights is intended so that they receive humane treatment in prisons.

Scoping Review of Mental Health Problems among Female Prisoners

BACKGROUND: Detention can cause problems and stressors for prisoners, one of which is mental health problems. Female prisoners have a high rate of mental health needs in prisons. Awareness and the ability to recognize prisoners’ health problems are important. Therefore, the mental welfare of female prisoners is the responsibility of each prison. AIM: This review aimed to identify mental health problems among female prisoners. METHODS: The method used was a scoping review. A systematic searched of the literature between 2000 and August 2021 on several databases and search engines, namely, PubMed, CINAHL, SAGE Journals, and Google Scholar using keywords in English, namely, mental health, female prisoners, and prison. RESULTS: Of the 112 articles found, nine were eligible for inclusion. It was found that the mental health problems of female prisoners were anxiety, depression, substance abuse, stress, loss and grief, trauma, and suicide attempts that put them at risk of psychological distress. There was still limited study on female prisoners, especially to explore mental health problems in prison, and there were few studies discussing adjustment to female prisoners in prison, as well as mental health services which are still rarely carried out in prisons. CONCLUSION: Based on the findings, it is recommended for future research to focus more on how female prisoners can access mental health services in prisons to overcome their mental health problems, conduct a deeper exploration of the extent to which mental health services in prisons have been carried out so far.

‘It Was Like a Space of Resistance’

This article examines the function of music for female political prisoners during the Pinochet Dictatorship in Chile. The discussion draws on a thematic analysis of testimonies about music by female prisoners from the platform Cantos Cautivos (“Captive Songs”). The article discusses musical happenings, genres of music being performed (e.g., Nueva Canción), and the ways in which music-making was organised. In particular, the article highlights the importance of communal singing. This article also addresses cultural and collective memory and the role that they play in these recollections.

The effects of 8 weeks of exercises applied to female convicts in prisons on BMI change, happiness, psychological stability, hopelessness and anxiety

The main purpose of this study is to examine the effects of exercise on the individual to preserve and improve the current state of both mental and physical health that women convicts need during the prison process and after release in social life. Beck Hopelessness Scale, Happiness Level Scale, Psychological Resilience Scale, State Anxiety Scale, and demographic information form were used to collect the study's data. A pilates exercise test was applied to female convicts in prison in the study, and measurements were made before and after the experiment. The study was tested using the one-way analysis of variance (OneWay ANOVA) and independent single sample test (T-test). The research population consists of 16 women. Pearson Correlation analysis was used to examine the relationship between continuous variables. SPSS 24.0 statistical package program was used for data analysis, and the statistical significance level was accepted as 0.05. The study results showed a positive change in the scores obtained from the psychological scales applied with the pre-study anthropometric measurements of the female prisoners in the Closed Penitentiary Institution, but when the pre-test and post-test averages were compared, it was observed that there was no significant change.

Sex Differences in Inmates: Anger, Sensitivity to Provocation and Family History of Imprisonment

Little research has explored the role of aggression, anger, and family history of incarceration as they relate to female offenders. The current study aimed to address this gap in the literature by investigating these possible risk factors for incarceration among both men and women. The survey involved 123 (61 female and 62 male) prisoners convicted for violent crimes and a comparison group of 118 (60 female and 58 male) adults from the community. We found that women (convicted and non-convicted) were more sensitive to provocation than men, while community adults showed higher levels of trait anger than prisoners. Detainees were more likely than community adults to have a relative in prison. Although male and female inmates were equally likely to have a relative in prison, they differed in their relation to the imprisoned relative. Male and female prisoners showed increased risk for incarceration of same sex, first degree relatives (father and brothers for men, and mothers for women). These results may contribute to improved understanding of incarcerated populations. As such, this represents a critical first step in creating recovery programs that are more gender appropriate.