The scope of the problem: The health of incarcerated women in BC.

About 10% of the prison population in British Columbia is women; the annual number of provincial admissions for women may be as high as 3700. Consistent with the rest of Canada, Aboriginal people are overrepresented in the criminal justice system. There is a greater prevalence of bloodborne infections in incarcerated women. Women in prison tend to be of childbearing age, and the problem of separation from their children is inadequately dealt with in our current system. Continuity of health care delivery as women revolve from the community to prison and back to the community is essential for improved health outcomes. Incarcerated women share their ideas regarding their health goals and recidivism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]