This qualitative research explores prisoners' views on the effects of imprisonment on their health and wellbeing and their experiences with prison health and disability services.
The report describes:
- The effects of prison culture and environment on health and wellbeing;
- prisoners' experiences with primary health care;
- mental health and care;
- dental health and care;
- continuity of care and access to care after release;
- the effects of imprisonment on family members.
Fourteen family members participated in the post-release interviews.
The Committee is grateful for the generous efforts of researchers, employees of the Department of Corrections, and particularly of the respondents to make this work possible. The research contributed to the NHC's 2010 report Health in Justice: Kia Piki te Ora, Kia Tika! - Improving the Health of Prisoners and their Families and Whānau: He whakapiki i te ora o ngā mauhere me ō rātou whānau.
Purpose
As there is little New Zealand-focused information about prisoners’ health-related prison experiences and continuity of care following release from prison, the National Health Committee developed a Health of Prisoners and their Families work programme.
The study aimed to explore the effects of incarceration on prisoners’ and their families’ health and wellbeing. Rather than a study that sought to generalise findings across prisoner and families, the study aimed to gather a selection of prisoners’ and their families’ in-depth lived experiences. Within this aim, the study was developed to address the following objectives:
- Seek prisoners’ views on the effects of imprisonment on their health and wellbeing one to two months before their scheduled release from prison and up to two months following their release.
- Seek prisoners’ views on health and disability services within prison and continuity of care upon release.
- Seeks prisoners’ views on how imprisonment may have impacted on their family’s health and wellbeing.
- Seek the views of one family member on the effects of imprisonment on the prisoner’s health and wellbeing.
- Seek the views of one family member on the effects of imprisonment on their family’s health and wellbeing.
Methodology
Sixty-three inmates participated in semi-structured interviews while incarcerated and, of these, 26 were interviewed six to eight weeks after their release from prison. Forty pre-release participants were men and 23 were women. The majority of participants identified as Māori. Ages ranged between 18 and 56 with a mean age of 34 years. Post-release participants comprised 17 men and nine women with a mean age of 29. Fourteen adolescent and adult family members participated in nine of the 26 post-release interviews. This resulted in a multi-generational account of the effects of imprisonment. Interviews ranged between 45 minutes and two hours.
Interviews were carried out in Arohata Women’s Prison, Auckland Region Women's Corrections Facility, Rimutaka Prison, Waikeria Prison and Spring Hill Corrections Facility.
While conducting prison-based fieldwork, the researchers were invited by prison management to visit two medical units and to interview medical staff. In addition, some Corrections Officers who helped to facilitate interviews with prisoners also, upon learning more fully about the research, spontaneously provided their views on the impact of imprisonment on prisoner health and wellbeing, with a small number specifically requesting or inviting the researchers to conduct an interview. Informed consent procedures were fully utilised for all interviews undertaken.