Women experiencing imprisonment are more likely to have worse health than women in the general population. This includes being more likely to have cervical cancer, and more likely to have complications in pregnancy. Having better healthcare could make a difference: women who are in prison or have been in prison are less likely to get routine Pap tests to screen for cervical cancer, and are less likely to get basic prenatal care. Although it is clear that women experiencing imprisonment need better healthcare, we do not know how to most effectively achieve this.
On October 1st, 2017, in efforts to improve healthcare in provincial prisons, British Columbia (BC) transferred responsibility for prison healthcare from the Ministry of Public Safety and the Solicitor General to the Ministry of Health. However, we do not know if this change has actually made a difference to improve women’s health specifically.
Our research aims to determine whether transferring responsibility for healthcare to the Ministry of Health improved healthcare for women experiencing imprisonment in BC by looking at two key markers: whether eligible women received routine Pap tests to screen for cervical cancer, and whether women who were pregnant received basic prenatal care. We will compare the rates of receiving this care before and after responsibility for healthcare in provincial prisons was transferred to the Ministry of Health. Evaluating the impact of this change can help us understand how to improve healthcare for women who experience imprisonment in BC and around the world.
Funded by: Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and Michael Smith Health Research BC
Read some of our past publications on this topic!
Liauw J, Jurgutis J, Nouvet E, Dineley B, Kearney H, et al. Reproductive healthcare in prison: A qualitative study of women’s experiences and perspectives in Ontario, Canada. PLoS ONE. 2021;16(5): e0251853. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0251853
Carter Ramirez A, Liauw J, Cavanagh A, Costescu D, Holder L, Lu H, Kouyoumdjian FG. Quality of antenatal care for women who experience imprisonment in Ontario, Canada. JAMA Network Open. 2020;3(8):e2012576.
Carter Ramirez A, Liauw J, Costescu D, Holder L, Lu H, Kouyoumdjian FG. Infant and maternal outcomes for women who experience imprisonment in Ontario, Canada: A retrospective cohort study. J Obstet Gynaecol Can. 2020;42(4):462-472.e2
Liauw J, Foran J, Dineley B, Costescu D, Kouyoumdjian FG. The Unmet Contraceptive Need of Incarcerated Women in Ontario. J Obstet Gynaecol Can. 2016 9;38(9):820-6.
Kouyoumdjian FG, McIsaac KE, Liauw J, Green S, Karachiwalla F, Siu W, Burkholder K, Binswanger I, Kiefer L, Kinner SA, Korchinski M, Matheson FI, Young P, Hwang SW. A systematic review of randomized controlled trials of interventions to improve the health of persons during imprisonment and in the year after release. Am J Public Health. 2015 Apr;105(4):e13-33.