39.
– Male staff may fulfil many of the necessary duties in a female establishment, but
special attention has to be given to the maintenance of the dignity of the
women;
39.
– Education and leisure activities should cover the broad range of interests of
women and not conform to outdated stereotypes. There is very little real
difference in the interests of the two groups;
39.
– Facilities should be provided for women prisoners to comply with their particular
personal needs.
CASE STUDIES
Methodology:
A round-table discussion is suggested, so that all trainees may benefit from hearing all
the points raised. Volunteers, different for each study, from among the trainees should
join with expert staff from the training team.
Points to be highlighted/suggested areas for discussion:
CASE STUDY 1
39.
– It might be worth starting with an overview of all the tasks available as “work”
and “education” for all prisoners;
39.
– Allocation to these tasks could then be done in the same way for all prisoners;
this would remove the restriction of certain tasks being reserved for women
prisoners only;
39.
– How is the washing of clothes managed in male-only establishments?
CASE STUDY 2
39.
– The nursery should be well maintained and well staffed. If this is the case, the
women are less likely to become anxious about leaving their children;
39.
– Eight hours is a long time to be away from a baby. The prison could organize
different shift patterns, possibly job-sharing arrangements, whereby mothers
could spend more time with their children;
39.
– It could be arranged that mothers take turns in running the nursery. This would
maximize the time mothers could spend caring for their own babies;
39.
– In some jurisdictions, it might be possible for a childcare qualification to be
obtained.
CASE STUDY 3
39.
– Women frequently find imprisonment extremely stressful, especially if it means
separation from their children;
39.
– Self-harm is often a sign of stress or of someone without power trying to
establish power over the only thing they have left, their own body;
39.
– A regime of daily activity is necessary, involving communication and exercise in
an attempt to counteract the worst excesses of stress and powerlessness;
39.
– If family contact is sporadic or unreliable, the prison authorities could make
efforts to regularize it;
39.
– Most importantly, the prison authorities must understand the problems faced by
women in prison.
142
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