Women in Prison with Alcohol Problems: Why Gender-Responsive Policies Matter

Abstract

The aim of this article is to show the results of alcohol consumption in a sample of female inmates and to reflect on the gaps existing regarding the issue of women with alcohol problems from a public policy and gender perspective in Mexico.

A descriptive retrospective study was carried out in a non-probabilistic convenience sample of 213 women. Ninety-one percent of the women reported having tried alcohol at some time in their lives and 19.7% qualified for alcohol dependence on three or more criteria. Women had important health problems associated with alcohol consumption: gastritis, malnutrition, and blood pressure problems. One-third of the sampled women used alcohol while pregnant. More than a half were experiencing a major depressive episode.

It is important to modify public policies so that women in general and marginalized women in particular have access to mental health services and addictions.

Keywords

Alcohol consumption women prison pregnancy gender policies

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