Provision of counselling and rehabilitation services to female prisoners: a case study of Kampala district
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Date
2008-10
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Publisher
Kampala International University, College of Humanities and Social Science
Abstract
Studies of incarcerated women Uganda's Prison System has found inadequate
access to rehabilitative psychosocial counseling and mental health services as well
as the widespread dissatisfaction with over-reliance on-psychotropic. drugs. The
use of pharmaceuticals to respond to women's mental distress was perceived to be
a way to cover up their problems instead of addressing them. In addition, there are
concerns that it could lead to dependence and addiction. Hence, most women
express a preference for counseling and 'talking therapies' rather than
medication. There is also at the moment a pressing need to formulate a complete
package of rehabilitative counseling services and identify a number of capable and
interested rehabilitative counseling service providers to deliver a range of
psychological counseling services to female prisoners in the Ugandan Prison
System at this point in time when they need them most.
Data processing and analysis was done with the help of tables, frequencies, and
percentage for both qualitative and quantitative data. Which were mainly
. · questionnaires, focus group discussions, observations, existing records/ documents, and interviews were used. Major findings revealed that while currently there is a
limited availability counseling service to women in the public sphere outside of
the Prison System] in special circumstances, no such services are provided for
imp1isoned women in the Uganda Prison System to cope with the crises which
arise while they ar·e in detention and which threaten their mental health. Detained
women within the Uganda Prison System expressed a marked preference for a
- .more proactive approach, so that they could access counseling at an earlier stage
in the stress cycle and prevent the exacerbation of their mental and emotional
distress. The importance of self-help or peer-support groups should also be
mentioned. However, such groups are at present mainly organized and run
through NGOs and/or community groups, as in the case of lone mothers, survivors
of adult and childhood sexual violence, women affected by eating disorders, or
lesbian women. As a consequence, their funding is often precarious.
Finally, in relation to counseling therapies, equitable availability should be
implemented. These treatments are often expensive,. and women on low incomes
cannot afford them. Therefore, access to them should be f~cilitated through
innovative contracting mechanisms, which would allow psychosocial therapists
and GPs to prescribe them to their clients instead or alongside traditional
medication.
Description
A research dissertation submitted to College of Humanities and Social Science in part1al fulfilment of the requirements for the Award of a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work and Social Administration of Kampala International University
Keywords
counselling, rehabilitation