Exploring self-care abilities among women in prisons of West Bengal, India

• Date: 12 November 2019
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPH-04-2019-0025
• Pages: 185-198
• Published date: 12 November 2019
• Author: Debolina Chatterjee,Suhita Chopra Chatterjee,Tulika Bhattacharyya
• Subject Matter: Health & social care

Exploring self-care abilities among women

in prisons of West Bengal, India

Debolina Chatterjee, Suhita Chopra Chatterjee and Tulika Bhattacharyya

Abstract

Purpose –Self-careis defined as the ability to take care of one’s body and health with or withoutthe help

of healthcare personnel. The purpose of this paper is to explore the opportunities for self-care among

imprisonedwomen within the constraints ofa confined life, which, in turn, affect theirhealth.

Design/methodology/approach –Primary data have been collected through semi-structured

interviewswith 90 women in three prisons in theIndian state of West Bengal.

Findings –Findings revealthat a majority of the women cited the inabilityto self-care was due to factors

such as constricted architecture, specific penal policiesthat thwarted relational contexts in prisons and

also the loss of control overtheir consumptive choices. However, it was foundthat coping mechanisms

also existed among some women who actively constituted penal spaces for self-care. Many long-term

imprisoned women triedto actively engage themselves in daily activities such as the ‘‘labour’’allotted to

them.

Practical implications –The paper concludes that abilities to self-care have a deep impact on the

health of women, which if not facilitatedwill lead to a health depleting experience. At a time when Indian

prisons are focussing on rehabilitation,the recommendations for providing opportunities for self-carein

prisonscan minimize the ‘‘pains’’ of imprisonment and pavethe way for rehabilitation.

Originality/value –The researchis based on data collected during original fieldworkconducted in three

prisons in West Bengal, India. It provides valuable insights on how penalenvironments affect self-care

opportunitiesof imprisoned women.

Keywords Women’s health, Health promotion, Rehabilitation, Health in prison, Self-care,

Imprisoned women

Paper type Research paper

Introduction

Self-care is defined as “the activities individuals, families and communities undertake with

the intention of enhancing health, preventing disease, limiting illness, and restoring health”

(WHO, 1983, p. 2), including the ability to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health

and cope with illness and disability, with or without the support of healthcare personnel

(WHO, 2009). It is what people do for themselves to establish and maintain health, and to

prevent and deal with illness. It is a broad concept encompassing hygiene, nutrition,

lifestyle, environmental factors, socio-economic factors andself-medication. It improves the

quality of healthcare outcomes, especially for chronic disease management and is a major

component of health promotion (Mishra, 2010). In addition to meeting the primary need for

health, self-care also refers to an individual’s perceived ability of consciouscontrol over his/

her body and health and the perceived agency to exercise choices during access to

healthcare.

The concept of self-care is critical in prisons, which can lead to an understanding of the

extent to which capacities of womenand their embodied acts can help regulate their bodies

and health under conditions of deprivation of liberty and privacy. Prison environments are

characterized by a rigid regime and repetition of daily experience, which can result in

Debolina Chatterjee is

based at Department of

Human Development, J.D.

Birla Institute, Kolkata,

India. Suhita Chopra

Chatterjee and Tulika

Bhattacharyya are both

based at Department of

Humanities and Social

Sciences, IIT Kharagpur,

Kharagpur, India.

Received 17 April 2019

Revised 7 June 2019

15 August 2019

11 September 2019

20 September 2019

Accepted 25 September 2019

DOI 10.1108/IJPH-04-2019-0025 VOL. 16 NO. 2 2020, pp. 185-198, ©Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 1744-9200 jINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PRISONER HEALTH jPAGE 185