The Silent Killer in Women's Prisons

If present in the body for an extended period, the human papillomavirus (HPV) can cause aberrant cells to develop in the cervix. Left undetected, these abnormalities can manifest into cancer. Incarcerated women are among the highest demographic to be diagnosed with cervical cancer - diagnoses that could be averted through HPV vaccinations, regular cervical cancer screenings, Pap smears, and comprehensive sexual education. The lack of these preventative measures points to an insufficiency of reproductive healthcare within women’s prisons. In its early stages, cervical cancer is asymptomatic. Once symptoms appear, damage to the body is irreparable. The absence of symptoms before lethality is why cervical cancer is coined “the silent killer.” The Eighth and Fourteenth amendments endow incarcerated individuals with equal rights to medical care in theory, but not in practice. Healthcare mandates in the criminal justice system were not written with the well-being of women in mind. The preventability, detectability, and treatability of early-stage cervical cancer shows that its frequency amongst incarcerated women is an injustice. Incarceration should not be a disqualification from proper healthcare.