INFORMATION PRACTICES OF PREGNANT INMATES

Abstract

This paper presents a study of the information practices of pregnant inmates of the Reference Center for the Private Pregnant Woman of the city of Vespasiano - Metropolitan Region of Minas Gerais, in which the goal is to understand the information practices of the prisoners, in particular their strategies to search, access, appropriate, and share information. The research presents exploratory character and qualitative nature. Data collection techniques include participatory observation and semi-structured interviews. To analyze the data, categories were created through the coding technique using a mixed model (with a priori categories derived from theoretical models and a posteriori categories inferred from the data collected in the inmates’ reports, through induction and content analysis). The results indicate that the prisoners are concerned with obtaining information about their sentences and about their children’s health, as well as seeking news of their companions, who are often also imprisoned. Regarding reading, many of them reported that they would like to have access to readings that refer to the prison universe, especially issues of law.