Empowerment in prison medical service: health education and experiental workshops to meet real care needs of inmate patient. The experience of Mantova prison

Abstract

Inmates health protection, in addition to individual response to symptoms and needs, could be reached
improving the ability to take care of yourself, the promotion of adequate lifestyles and an easy access to
diagnostic-therapeutic pathways- rehabilitation. These aims can be achieved through primary prevention
actions based on the concept of "Empowerment", a strategy which through health education and promotion of positive health behaviors provides people with the tools to make better decisions for their wellbeing, thus reducing cultural and social inequalities. In the prison system, this methodology is mainly
developed through experiential laboratories, aimed at experimenting cognitive models that settle down
and find their application in everyday life of both individuals and groups. Starting from these assumptions,
some ludic-therapeutic activities aimed at subgroups of the population have been proposed within the
prison of Mantova, as a starting point for paths of autonomy, mutual aid and inclusion. Therefore, some
of the experiential workshops will be described, in terms of health promotion and education, aimed at
inmates of the male and female sections, conducted by the prison medical Equipe.