Holistic Health Planning for Women Offenders

Project Description Narrative:

There has been an increase in the number of women entering Wisconsin’s criminal justice system, largely due to a rise in substance abuse, domestic violence, and a struggle to support themselves and their children. Many are in poor health, and lack information and resources to access quality health care.

Through this project, a community-based health collaborative will be formed to identify and address the physical, emotional, spiritual, and financial health needs of women offenders in our community. This will be done by holding focus groups to learn about offenders’ health care needs and priorities, assessing health literacy and risk factors, sharing knowledge with local health providers regarding the health needs of women offenders, and creating a pilot curriculum and program plan to address those needs.