Research of the lifestyle and conditions of the female special contingent of penitential institutions of Armenia
Kristine K. Vardanyan1, Armine K. Bayburtyan2,
Hayk T. Sargsyan3, Anahit K. Hayrapetyan2
1 Department of Hygiene and Ecology, Yerevan State Medical University (YSMU), Yerevan, Armenia
2 Department of Public Health and Healthcare, YSMU, Yerevan, Armenia
3 Department of Organization and Tactics of Medical Service, YSMU, Yerevan, Armenia
ABSTRACT
The article examines the main aspects of the lifestyle and living conditions of women in the Abovyan penitentiary institution.
A total of 53 women took part in a one-time study using random sampling, which amounted to 61.6% of the total number of female special contingent.
The analysis of the obtained personal data showed that the vast majority of respondents were serving a sentence for the first time; almost a third had higher or incomplete higher education; the vast majority of respondents lived in a separate apartment before imprisonment, were divorced, or were not married; and about half did not have children. In the vast majority of cases, women ate food 1-2 times a day; more than half of the respondents were smokers and were not physically active. According to 45.3% of respondents, there are no necessary conditions for obtaining or continuing education; more than half considered employment opportunities in prison insufficient.
The results of the study suggest the need to carry out medical and psychosocial measures in the country’s penitentiary institutions aimed at changing lifestyles and reassessing the values of the country’s special population.
Keywords: penitentiary medicine, lifestyle of women deprived of liberty, prison regime, conditions of detention in prisons, nutrition issues for convicts.