The health and welfare of women in Australia's prisons

Publication

Release Date: 17 Nov 2020

Topic: People in prison

Media release

AIHW

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2020) The health and welfare of women in Australia's prisons, AIHW, Australian Government, accessed 19 April 2024.

APA

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2020). The health and welfare of women in Australia's prisons. Canberra: AIHW.

MLA

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. The health and welfare of women in Australia's prisons. AIHW, 2020.

Vancouver

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. The health and welfare of women in Australia's prisons. Canberra: AIHW; 2020.

Harvard

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2020, The health and welfare of women in Australia's prisons, AIHW, Canberra.

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The number of women in Australia’s prisons is growing and it is becoming increasingly important to understand the health and wellbeing needs of the female prison population. This Infocus report shows that women entering prison often come from disadvantaged backgrounds, with a history of substance use and mental health issues. The report also highlights the need for a gender-specific approach to health care in prisons.

This report includes data from before the COVID-19 pandemic. For data and information that relates to COVID-19, please see our COVID-19 resources.

ISBN: 978-1-76054-774-5
Cat. no: PHE 281
Pages: 16

Findings from this report:

Almost one-quarter (24%) of women entering prison were unemployed in the 30 days prior to incarceration
27% of women entering prison were in short-term or emergency accommodation in the 30 days prior to incarceration
Almost 1 in 5 (17%) women entering prison had a parent or carer incarcerated during their childhood
More than half (54%) of women entering prison had at least 1 dependent child

Summary

Although women make up a relatively small proportion of the total prison population in Australia, over the past 10 years the number of women in prison has been increasing and at a faster rate than the number of men in prison.

Women in prison can have complex health and wellbeing needs and may require access to female-specific health services.

The purpose of this report is to contribute to the understanding of women’s health and wellbeing needs when they enter prison, during their time in custody, and at release from prison.

The health and welfare of women in Australia's prisons

Citation

AIHW

APA

MLA

Vancouver

Harvard

Summary

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