Access to and utilisation of mental health services by female inmates serving life imprisonment at Uganda Prisons, Luzira women

Abstract

In this study I explore access to and utilization of mental health services by female inmates serving life imprisonment at Luzira women’s prison, focusing on their mental health needs, the level of access to care, and the extent of service utilization. I focus on the access and utilization of mental health services by female inmates because of the unique psychological challenges that they often experience I adopted a qualitative approach using a phenomenology research design to gain insight into the lived experiences of inmates. The data I collected was through in-depth interviews with four inmates on life imprisonment and two key informants, who were all purposively selected. I used thematic content analysis to interpret the findings from transcribed interviews. In interviews and discussions, female inmates serving life imprisonment at Luzira women’s prison report that they suffer persistent emotional distress, including depression, anxiety, and hopelessness, mainly due to long-term incarceration and family separation. From my research findings, I deduced that though mental health services such as counseling and psychiatric care are available, they are underutilized and mainly accessed during emotional crises. Additionally, emotional barriers like shame, stigma, despair, and the psychological burden of life imprisonment, reduce the effectiveness of the available mental health services. Other emotional barriers include systemic challenges such as understaffing and conflicting schedules. Basing on the information I gathered during the interviews, peer support and spiritual activities offer vital emotional relief and often serve as more accessible alternatives of mental health services. Despite the availability of mental health services, their utilization remains inconsistent due to deep emotional and systemic obstacles. With this study I call for interventions that are culturally sensitive and specific to female prisoners on life imprisonment, so as to address stigma and hopelessness among the inmates. Luzira women’s prison should increase staffing, improve access, and formally integrate peer and spiritual support systems to promote meaningful recovery and uphold the right to health in prison settings