Abstract

Evidence-based knowledge is minimal at best about women in jail yet the population is known to have difficulty accessing health care despite clear evidence the population suffers from a multitude of serious health conditions. Access to health care is important to attain and maintain good health yet we know little of the experiences of jailed women trying to access correctional health care services. The lack of knowledge prompted the phenomenological study to answer the research question, “What is the lived experience of women in a jail environment seeking access to jail health care services?” After the data were collected and analyzed two theme categories, seven theme clusters, and seventeen themes emerged. The first theme category, Expressing the Negative View, consisted of five theme clusters and thirteen themes. The second theme category, Expressing the Positive View, consisted of two theme clusters and four themes. The essential structure of the lived experience of women in jail trying to access health care services in a jail environment developed from the thematic findings is predominately negative describing a multitude of systemic, personnel, and quality of care issues.