Page 9 - Spring 2016 Newsletter

a tendency to “sit and eat.” One of the biggest health problems REFERENCES

noted by women was weight gain - women in the prison system
Buckaloo, B. J., Krug, K. S., & Nelson, K. B. (2009). Exercise and the low-security
in Philadelphia gain an average of 30 lbs over 8 months while
inmate: Changes in depression, stress, and anxiety. The Prison Journal,

incarcerated. Due to the male-oriented nature of the system, women 89(3), 328-343.

are often fed the same diet as male inmates (2,800 calories a day),
Carson, E.A., & Golinelli, D. (2013). Prisoners in 2012- Advance counts. Washington
and their facilities are often underfunded, meaning while men have D.C. Bureau of Justice Statistics. U.S. Department of Justice.

access to outdoor spaces and regular gym time, women do not.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2013). Prevalence and Trends Data:

My qualitative research within the prison revealed a focus on Exercise-2012. Retrieved March, 3, 2014 from http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/

appearance and weight. When asked to rate their current physical brfss/list.asp?cat=EX&yr=2012&qkey=8041&state=All.

health and to comment on any health changes that had occurred Department of Justice Statistics, Bureau of Justice Statistics. (2015) Correctional

Populations in the United States, 2014 (USDOJ Publiction No. NCJ 249513).
since they had arrived at RCF, nearly every woman referred to weight
Washington, DC.
- whether she had lost, gained, or maintained (with the vast majority

reporting signiicant weight gain). Despite this focus, women were Guerino, P., Harrison, P.M., & Sabol, W.J. (2012). Prisoners in 2010. Washington D.C.
Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice.
quick to note other reasons and beneits of engaging in exercise,

mainly improved mental health (i.e., feeling energized, less stressed, Lamb, H. R., Weinberger, L. E., & Gross, B. H. (2004). Mentally ill persons in the criminal

justice system: Some perspectives. Psychiatric Quarterly, 75(2), 107-126.
and able to forget, briely, about the dificulties of incarceration). All

of these data help us better understand how to engage incarcerated Leddy, M. A., Schulkin, J., & Power, M. L. (2009). Consequences of high incarceration
rate and high obesity prevalence on the prison system. Journal of
women in physical activity, help them stay motivated by focusing on
Correctional Health Care, 15(4), 318-327.
the beneits they receive, and the positive relationships they build.

Libbus, M. K., Genovese, J. A., & Poole, M. J. (1994). Organized aerobic exercise and
Women in prison are less likely than their un-incarcerated peers to
depression in male county jail inmates. Journal of Correctional Health Care,
have been active earlier in life (CDC, 2013), more likely to have been 1(5), 5-16.

the victims of domestic or sexual violence, and ind themselves in Malik-Kane, K., & Visher, C. A. (2008). Health and prisoner reentry: How physical,

a space that is not conducive to maintaining or improving health. mental, and substance abuse conditions shape the process of reintegration.

Providing incarcerated women with access to and knowledge Washington, DC: Urban Institute.

concerning physical activity is an act of social justice. When Meek, R. & Lewis, G. E. (2014). Promoting well-being and resistance through sport

individuals are able to exercise regularly, they can better maintain and physical activity: The opportunities and barriers experienced by women

their health and engage in pro-social behaviors. By understanding in English prisons. Women & Criminal Justice, 24(2), 151-172.

how to better engage underserved women, we can improve their Seewald, K. (2012). Severe mental illness in 33,588 prisoners worldwide: Systematic
review and meta-regression analysis. The British Journal of Psychiatry,
experiences within prison, and also provide them the capacity to
200(4), 364-373.
maintain and improve health when they are released. This effort will

improve lives and communities. While doing research in a prison Wagner, M., McBride, R. E., & Crouse, S. F. (1999). Effects of weight-training exercise

setting may not be as easy as one would think, it does provide on aggression variables in adult male inmates. Prison Journal, 79(1), 72-89.

information that can have wide-ranging and important impacts. To Walmsley, R. (2013). World Prison Population List. International Centre for Prison

Studies. Retrieved February, 15, 2016 from http://www.apcca.org/
learn more about Gearing Up, go to gearing-up.org, and to read more
uploads/10th_Edition_2013.pdf.
about physical activity in prison, I would recommend Sport in Prison

by Rosie Meek.

AASP Newsletter // Spring 2016 //
Researcher’s Corner: Understanding Incarcerated Women’s Motivation to Exercise

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