Handbook for prison managers and policymakers on women and imprisonment
Acknowledgements The handbook was prepared for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) by Tomris Atabay, consultant on criminal justice issues, based in Turkey. UNODC wishes to acknowledge with appreciation the significant role played by the Quaker UN Office (Geneva) throughout the development of the handbook. UNODC also wishes to acknowledge the valuable contributions received from the following experts who kindly agreed to review the handbook and provide comments and feedback: UNODC also wishes to acknowledge the support provided by the Governments of Canada, Sweden, New Zealand and Norway toward the development of the handbook. v Contents Introduction 1 1. The special needs of female prisoners 7 1. Challenges in accessing justice 7 2. History of victimization and mental healthcare needs 8 3. Gender-specific healthcare needs 10 4. Safety in prisons 14 5. Accommodation and family contact 15 6. Pregnancy and women with children 17 7. Post-release reintegration 22 2. Management of women's prisons 25 1. Gender-sensitive prison management 25 2. Staff 28 3. Assessment and classification 30 4. Safety and security 33 5. Prisoner activities and programmes 42 6. Healthcare 48 7. Access to legal assistance 58 8. Contact with the outside world 60 9. Preparation for release and post-release support 63 10. Pregnant women and women with children in prison 66 11. Special categories 72 3. Reducing the female prison population by reforming legislation and practice: suggested measures 81 1. Legal assistance on arrest 83 2. Diversion from prosecution 84 3. Pre-trial detention 85 4. Sentencing 88 5. Discriminatory legislation and trial procedures 95 6. Foreign national women 99 Management of women's prisons: key recommendations 103 Reducing the female prison population: key recommendations 111 References 115 1 Introduction Whom the handbook is for The present handbook forms part of a series of tools developed by The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to support countries in implementing the rule of law and the development of criminal justice reform. It is designed to be used by all actors involved in the criminal justice system, including policymakers, legislators, prison managers, prison staff, members of non-governmental organizations and other individuals interested or active in the field of criminal justice and prison reform. It can be used in a variety of contexts, both as a reference document and as a training tool. The main focus of the handbook is female prisoners 1 and guidance on the components of a …
HIV Prevention and Rehabilitation Models for Women Who Inject Drugs in Russia and Ukraine
Women who inject drugs require gender-specific approaches to drug rehabilitation, modification of risk behaviors, and psychosocial adaptation. Improved outcomes have been demonstrated when the specific needs of women's subpopulations have been addressed. Special services for women include prenatal care, child care, women-only programs, supplemental workshops on women-focused topics, mental health services, and comprehensive programs that include several of the above components. To address the special needs of women injecting drug user (IDU) subpopulations, such as HIV-positive pregnant women and women with young children, recently released female prisoners, and street-involved girls and young women, HealthRight International and its local partners in Russia and Ukraine have developed innovative service models. This paper presents each of these models and discusses their effectiveness and implementation challenges specific to local contexts in Russia and Ukraine.
A peptide muscarinic toxin from the Green Mamba venom shows agonist-like action in an inhibitory avoidance learning task.
A peptide, muscarinic toxin 2 (MTX2), isolated from Dendroaspis angusticeps venom was previously shown to displace the specific binding of [3H]pirenzepine, a muscarinic M1 receptor ligand, from rat brain synaptosomal membranes. We have tested MTX2 for muscarinic agonist or antagonist actions in an inhibitory avoidance task in rats. Infusion of the muscarinic receptor antagonist scopolamine into the hippocampus of rats immediately after the training period produced amnesia, whereas the muscarinic agonist oxotremorine increased retention. When MTX2 was injected into the hippocampus of rats after the inhibitory avoidance task, it caused memory facilitation, which could be suppressed by the concomitant infusion of scopolamine. Hence, in this test, MTX2 showed muscarinic receptor agonist-like actions, which are probably mediated by the M1 subtype of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors.