Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Forgotten Women: Incarceration and Health Concerns of Minority Women

Issues regarding health conditions and health education of incarcerated minority women are discussed in this paper. Topics covered include: incarcerated women's health care-infectious and chronic diseases, disease-specific care, mental health, and programs specifically for incarcerated females; health education programs in prison-education strategies from intake to reentry, and collaborative prison-community partnerships; return to the community-- post release access to care; and a conclusion explaining the need for "[I]mplementation of easy health care access, health education programs and treatment interventions during and post incarceration allow incarcerated women an opportunity to maintain medical treatment practices and have positive health outcomes" (p. 6).