Policy advocacy and leadership training for formerly incarcerated women: an empowerment evaluation of ReConnect, a program of the Women in Prison Project, Correctional Association of New York

Attending to cardiovascular disease risk factors after incarceration: A study of empowerment and structural barriers to care

Incarceration in the United States is associated with high rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and elevated CVD risk continues into the immediate period following release from prison. One reason may be that people who are released from incarceration experience difficulties accessing healthcare and navigating the healthcare system. We use empowerment theory to describe the experiences of people after release from incarceration who have been diagnosed with or affected by risk factors for CVD, specifically focusing on ways in which they overcome barriers within the United States' medical system. We conducted a secondary analysis of qualitative data collected in Baltimore, MD in 2019. Qualitative data were collected through interviews and interactive discussion forums with 98 people who were previously incarcerated and 19 key informants. Data were analysed using qualitative thematic analysis guided by the theoretical constructs of powerlessness and empowerment. Individuals who were formerly incarcerated described feeling empowered primarily through personal motivation, maintaining a positive mindset and receiving support from within the system. They also listed a number of structural barriers they faced and repeatedly suggested a desire for improved access to healthcare and a greater understanding of the healthcare system. Efforts to develop a straightforward and easily accessible support system can promote empowerment and encourage a successful return to society and should be prioritised.

[Empowerment evaluation: theoretical and methodological considerations applied to the health area]

The objective of this article is to discuss the empowerment evaluation as a theoretical and methodological framework and its applications to the health area. This is a theoretical article that presents the conceptual and methodological aspects and the principles of the empowerment evaluation. This evaluation is regarded as an approach that allows the participation of interest groups in the process, in order to improve the qualification and transformation of the knowledge and practices of the context evaluated. In the health area, the possible articulations between this framework and the complexity of the practices are discussed, aiming to increase the sense of belonging and responsibility of the participants in the evaluation process. Empowerment evaluation is a viable and powerful theoretical and methodological alternative in the health area, which, in addition to producing knowledge applied to the reality of interest groups, also provides a better understanding of work processes and institutional arrangements in the field of health management and health care.