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Research Procedures in AOTI Time Use in an Irish Women’s Prison
Research Procedures in AOTI Time Use in an Irish Women’s Prison | Time Use in an Irish Women’s Prison |
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Author: Aideen Higgins Contact: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Date awarded: 2011 Keywords: Prison, time use, occupational balance AbstractWhat do people do in prison? There has been insufficient research conducted in the area of women prisoners and how this increasing population use their time during imprisonment. As Occupational Therapists we believe that occupational engagement is essential to health and well-being (Law et al 1998, Wilcock 1993). In Ireland there are currently no Occupational Therapists employed within the prison service. This contrasts with the United Kingdom where Occupational Therapists often form part of the prison team. This study assessed how women prisoners in a medium secure unit spent their time, the activities they engaged in and how they valued these. The Occupational Questionnaire (Smith et al1986), was used along with two open qualitative questions. 25 Women were interviewed one on one by a researcher using semi-structured interviews. Data was then analysed using SPSS v 18. Thematic Analysis was used to analyse the qualitative questions.
The study found that the women spent large portions of their day in passive leisure occupations. Sleeping and watching TV/DVDS were the most commonly reported activities. Control and a lack of Occupational Diversity was a key theme which emerged with a desire to do more being mentioned by 12 of the 25 respondents.
The results have highlighted a need for increased opportunity for engagement in meaningful occupation. There is a potential role for Occupational Therapy within the prison system.
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