Women In Jail

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I initially wanted to do my research on solitary confinement in the Broome County Jail. But, after hearing about the women, I felt like I wanted to hear more from someone who has experience what is going on in the jail. According to the Broome County web page, “The Division cooperates with the Broome County Health Dept. to provide screening and treatment to jail inmates for sexually transmitted and contagious diseases in order to protect the public upon the inmate's release. This program provides for a successful transition back into the community and ensures follow up by a community service provider” (Broome County NY). But after my talk with April, I discovered …show more content…
Betty van Tonder*, 42, is serving a 12-year sentence for defrauding her former boss out of R1.4 million. She shares a cell with 38 other women, using one shower and a single toilet. She suffers from diabetes, but is unable to test her sugar level because she has been told the sugar testing machine at the prison hospital doesn’t work.
Lisa Vetten, researcher, and analyst at the Wits Institute for Social and Economic Research said in her report on “The imprisonment of women in Africa”, that women are invisible and neglected when prison rules and policies are formulated. Prison facilities are designed with men’s needs in mind and as a result, are inadequate for the needs of pregnant women and children.
“The inmates don’t see a doctor unless they are “seriously” sick. A nurse is sent once a week and is seen between 8 am and 2 pm, if you’re lucky. The nurse carries a notebook and on Mondays, inmates line up to tell her their woes, the nurse writes their names, prison numbers, and the medical problem”, says