Gyms Left Unused At Women's Prison
The Age
Wednesday July 21, 1993
The gym at a women's prison in Victoria is seldom used because female prisoners tend to internalise their tensions, according to the jail's deputy governor.
The deputy governor of the maximum-security Barwon jail, David McCurry, says that women, distracted by family worries and more likely to have medical problems, find little comfort in recreation schemes.
At women-only jails such as Fairlea (children visit on weekends) and Castlemaine's minimum-security Tarrengower prison, where children live with their mothers, the governors say that prisoners show little inclination for exercise.
McCurry says Barwon is different because family visits are limited to one hour a week and both men and women play sport.
Mary, an inmate at Barwon, says that women play less sport as they prefer ``feminine" activities to lifting weights. She enjoys walking on the oval, and not just because it offers a chance to see her boyfriend from another unit. Being outside helps her forget she has been locked away by society.
© 1993 The Age