Access to physical activity among people incarcerated: Jail staff perceptions of gender, work opportunities, and physical space

Background: There has been a surge in female incarceration in the United States in the last decade, and research indicates that women who are incarcerated are among the most likely to experience poor health outcomes. Physical activity is known to improve health and research that has explored women’s physical activity in incarcerated settings has been mostly conducted in prisons, with little research in jail populations. Objectives: This project explores jail staff perceptions of differences in access to physical activity between women and men incarcerated in a US jail to identify potential administrative barriers to providing equitable access to physical activity for those incarcerated. Design: A qualitative descriptive approach utilizing interviews was used. Methods: Semi-structured interviews focusing on perceptions of how incarcerated individuals at the coed jail participate in physical activity were conducted with 10 correctional staff at the jail. Interview data were analyzed using a thematic analysis approach in order to extract emergent and prominent themes. Results: Jail staff unanimously agreed on the value and importance of physical activity during incarceration, but expressed challenges related to providing access to physical activity. Those challenges were organized into three salient themes that have a large impact on access to physical activity while incarcerated in jail: Staffing and Jail Layout, Employment Opportunities for People Incarcerated, and Choices and Motivations of Incarcerated People, all of which were heavily influenced by gender. Conclusion: Importantly, the themes identified above are contextualized within a gendered organizations and managerial framework for corrections that increases administrative burdens and gender inequality and decreases attention on the health and well-being of those incarcerated as well as those that work within correctional settings.