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Date: April 30, 2024 Tue
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Results for health care
107 results foundAuthor: Brito, Corina Sole Title: Communication and Public Health Emergencies: A Guide for Law Enforcement Summary: With support from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs' Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) created a series of documents to help improve the law enforcement response to public health emergencies. The documents in this series are intended to apply to agencies of all sizes and types. How the suggested strategies are implemented will undoubtedly vary according to a department's specific size and nature. The first report, Communication and Public Health Emergencies: A Guide for Law Enforcement, is a guide for law enforcement executives that identifies the crucial components of an effective public health communications plan. It examines the necessary considerations for both internal communications (within the law enforcement agency) and external communications (with other agencies or with the public). Details: Washington, DC: Police Executive Research Forum, 2009. 72p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 25, 2018 at: https://www.bja.gov/publications/perf_emer_comm.pdf Year: 2009 Country: United States URL: https://www.bja.gov/publications/perf_emer_comm.pdf Shelf Number: 117084 Keywords: Emergency ManagementHealth CarePolice-Community Relations |
Author: World Health Organization Title: Women's Health in Prison: Correcting Gender Inequity in Prison Health Summary: This document combines shared experience with expert advice to produce guidance for countries wishing to improve health care and circumstances in their prisons and, in particular, to develop their role in preventing the spread of disease. The network aims to maximize an important opportunity for promoting health in a marginalized group and contributing to general public health in their communities. Details: Vienna, Switzerland: 2009 Source: Year: 2009 Country: Switzerland URL: Shelf Number: 115362 Keywords: Correctional InstitutionsFemale PrisonersHealth Care |
Author: Kraemer, Sharan Title: HoPE (Health of Prisoner Evaluation) Pilot Study of Prisoner Physical Health and Psychological Wellbeing Summary: This pilot study, examining prisoner health in two Western Australian (WA) Prisons; Casuarina and Bandyup, aims to create a way for standardized program of health checks to be introduced into WA prisons and ultimately across the board for all Australian prisons. The HoPE (Health of Prisoner Evaluation) Project was developed by the authors in response to a report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, which found no consistent state or national review of prisoners' health even though they are known to be a high-risk group. A mental and physical health questionnaire was used to interview both indigenous and non-Indigenous male and female prisoners from urban areas. This aimed to produce an accurate profile of people within the present prison system. Details: Joondalup, Western Australia: School of Law & Justice, Edith Cowan University, 2009 Source: Australian Policy Online Year: 2009 Country: Australia URL: Shelf Number: 114352 Keywords: Health CarePrisoners |
Author: Chu, Sandra Ka Hon Title: Clean Switch: The Case for Prison Needle and Syringe Programs in Canada Summary: Prison systems have implemented, to varying degrees, forms of harm reduction aimed at preventing HIV transmission in prisons. However, as of September 2008, no Canadian jurisdiction had established a prison-based needle and syringe program. This paper outlines the available evidence and legal rationale, under federal Canadian and international human rights law, for Canada to implement a prison-based needle and syringe program without delay. Details: Toronto: Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, 2009. 39p. Source: Year: 2009 Country: Canada URL: Shelf Number: 117371 Keywords: AIDS (Disease)Health CareHIV (Viruses)Prisoners |
Author: Hoover, Jeff Title: Harm Reduction in Prison: The Moldova Model Summary: This report focuses on the introduction of harm reduction programs in Moldovan prisons and describes successes achieved as well as remaining challenges. Research was conducted in Moldova in August 2007 and October 2008, with seven site visits to prisons and one site visit to a pretrial detention facility, as well as visits to the headquarters of the penitentiary system and Innovative Projects in Prisons—a nongovernmental organization (NGO) that provides harm reduction services in prisons. The authors interviewed prisoners and pretrial detainees, NGO staff, and penitentiary system officials and employees at both the national and local levels. The extent of research conducted at each prison and pretrial detention facility varied due to several factors, including: length and timing of visit; staff responsibilities and availability at the time; and access to prisoners and their ability and willingness to talk. Details: New York: Open Society Institute, 2009. 66p. Source: Internet Resource Year: 2009 Country: Moldova URL: Shelf Number: 116256 Keywords: AIDS (Disease )Drug Addiction and AbuseHarm ReductionHealth CareHIV (Viruses)InmatesPrisons (Moldova) |
Author: Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center Title: Dying for Decent Care: Bad Medicine in Immigration Custody Summary: Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center (FIAC) provides free legal services to immigrants of all nationalities, including many in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a division of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Lack of competent medical care is one of the chief complaints of the men, women and children in immigration detention throughout the country. This report documents the concern that medical care for those in immigration custody is woefully inadequate and all too frequently leads to unnecessary suffering and, in some cases, death. Details: Miami: Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center, 2009. 78p. Source: Internet Resource Year: 2009 Country: United States URL: Shelf Number: 113415 Keywords: Health CareImmigrant DetentionImmigrants |
Author: Dolezal, Theresa Title: Hidden Costs in Health Care: The Economic Impact of Violence and Abuse Summary: Every year millions of Americans are exposed to violence and abuse as victims, witnesses, and perpetrators. Violence and abuse occur in all age groups, at all socioeconomic levels, and throughout all of society's structure. Up to now, the health care system has failed to adequately recognize the consequences of abuse, to respond and treat patients in a manner that is compassionate and healing, and to incorporate appropriate prevention strategies. This paper reviews a sampling of the literature that supports the contention that violence and abuse lead to a significant increase in health care utilization and costs. Details: Eden Prairie, MN: Academy on Violence and Abuse, 2009. Source: Internet Resource Year: 2009 Country: United States URL: Shelf Number: 117603 Keywords: Costs of CrimeHealth CareVictims of CrimeViolence and Abuse |
Author: Nafekh, Mark Title: Evaluation Report: Correctional Service Canada's Safer Tattooing Practices Pilot Initiative Summary: "The practice of illicit tattooing in prison has been associated with high incidence and prevalence rates of blood borne infectious diseases within federal correctional institutions, a risk which is also extended to correctional staff members and to the general public. In response to the Federal National AIDS Strategy (1997) and the 31st Annual Report of the Correctional Investigator (2004), Correctional Service Canada (CSC) agreed to explore expanding its infectious disease control program to include Safer Tattooing Practices as a harm reduction initiative. In August 2005, CSC began its pilot of the Safer Tattooing Practices Initiative (STPI)2, which was implemented through an education component and an operational component. The operational component saw the implementation of tattoo rooms in six federal institutions – one men’s institution in each of the five regions (Atlantic, Cowansville, Bath, Rockwood and Matsqui Institutions) plus one women’s institution (Fraser Valley Institution for Women). The education component, delivered at CSC’s five regional reception centres, informed all inmates with a new federal offence about the risks of unsafe tattooing practices at the five regional reception centres. The education component also provided information through a guidelines document and pamphlets distributed at each of the six pilot sites. This report provides findings of the targeted evaluation of the STPI. The report measures achievements and outcomes as outlined in the Evaluation Framework (2005). The report is summative in nature even though it incorporates aspects of both the formative and summative approaches towards evaluation. Thus, most but not all of the immediate, intermediate and long term impacts were assessed. As such, the report includes findings and recommendations regarding the implementation of the STPI, however not all aspects of this area were examined in detail as they would in a purely formative evaluation. The findings and recommendations contained in this report are designed to guide decisions regarding the suitability of continuing the Safer Tattooing harm reduction initiative." Details: Ottawa: Correctional Service Canada, Evalution Branch, Performance Assurance Sector, 2009. 70p. Source: Internet Resource; Accessed August 14, 2010 at: http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/text/pa/ev-tattooing-394-2-39/ev-tattooing-394-2-39_e.pdf Year: 2009 Country: Canada URL: http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/text/pa/ev-tattooing-394-2-39/ev-tattooing-394-2-39_e.pdf Shelf Number: 114339 Keywords: CorrectionsHealth CareInmatesPrisonersTattoos |
Author: Zahnd, Elaine Title: Nearly Four Million California Adults Are Victims of Intimate Partner Violence Summary: Nearly 1 in 6 adults in California, about 3.7 million persons, report experiencing physical intimate partner violence (IPV) as adults. Over one million Californians were forced to have sex (5%) by an intimate partner during adulthood. Overall, 17.2% of adults—nearly four million Californians—report being a victim of physical and/or sexual IPV as an adult. These acts of violence are not merely a criminal justice problem, but a public health problem with deep and lingering social, psychological and health-related costs. Beyond the immediate trauma facing adult victims, IPV incidents may have a prolonged impact on the emotional and mental health of the victims, affect their ability to complete school or maintain employment, and result in adverse health behaviors to cope with the trauma, such as engaging in risky alcohol, tobacco or other drug use. Violence that occurs between intimates or family members is especially damaging when it takes place in the presence of children; previous studies have shown that witnessing violence can lead to intergenerational cycles of violence." Details: Los Angeles, CA: UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, 2010. 11p. Source: Internet Resource; Accessed August 16, 2010 at: http://www.healthpolicy.ucla.edu/pubs/files/IPV_PB_031810.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: http://www.healthpolicy.ucla.edu/pubs/files/IPV_PB_031810.pdf Shelf Number: 119614 Keywords: Domestic ViolenceFamily ViolenceHealth CareIntimate Partner Violence (California )Sex OffensesVictims of Crime |
Author: Noonan, Margaret Title: Mortality in Local Jails, 2000 - 2007 Summary: This report describes the specific medical conditions causing deaths in jails nationwide during an eight-year period. For the leading medical causes of mortality, comparative estimates and mortality rates are presented by gender, age, race and Hispanic origin, and the length of time served in jail. The report includes detailed statistics on causes of death as well as more acute events such as suicides, homicides and accidents. Mortality as related to the size of the jail is also discussed. Jail inmate death rates are compared with rates in the general U.S. resident population using a direct standardization. Estimates and mortality rates for the top 50 jail jurisdictions in the United States are also presented. Highlights include the following: 1) From 2000 through 2007, local jail administrators reported 8,110 inmate deaths in custody. Deaths in jails increased each year, from 905 in 2000 to 1,103 in 2007; 2) The mortality rate per 100,000 local jail inmates declined from 152 deaths per 100,000 inmates to 141 per 100,000 between 2000 and 2007, while the jail inmate population increased 31% from 597,226 to 782,592; 3) Between 2000 and 2007, the suicide rates were higher in small jails than large jails. In jails holding 50 or fewer inmates, the suicide rate was 169 per 100,000; in the largest jails, the suicide rate was 27 per 100,000 inmates. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2010. 19p. Source: Internet Resource: Deaths in Custody Reporting Program: Accessed August 20, 2010 at: http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/mlj07.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/pdf/mlj07.pdf Shelf Number: 119647 Keywords: Deaths in CustodyHealth CareInmate DeathsJail HomicidesJailsSuicides |
Author: Zemel, Sarabeth Title: Service Delivery Policies: Findings from a Survey of Juvenile Justice and Medicaid Policies Affecting Children in the Juvenile Justice System Summary: This issue brief from NASHP highlights findings from surveys of juvenile justice and Medicaid agencies in order to determine policies around health care and Medicaid for youth involved in the juvenile justice system. The paper focuses on findings related to service delivery and continuity of care policies for juvenile justice-involved youth. Details: Portland, ME: National Academy for State Health Policy, 2010. 12p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 1, 2010 at: http://www.nashp.org/sites/default/files/Aug2010MacFoundFinal_0.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: http://www.nashp.org/sites/default/files/Aug2010MacFoundFinal_0.pdf Shelf Number: 120143 Keywords: Health CareJuvenile OffendersMedicaid |
Author: Clark, Karen Title: Meeting the Health Needs of Youth Involved in the Juvenile Justice System Summary: Nearly 100,000 young people are in juvenile justice facilities of some sort on any given day, with more than 2 million arrested in a year. Of those in residential settings, 62 percent are minorities, 85 percent are boys, and many, if not most, lack adequate health insurance coverage. Youth in juvenile justice facilities - including detention centers, shelters, diagnostic centers, group homes, wilderness programs, residential treatment facilities and training schools (where most juveniles are committed) - suffer disproportionately from a host of mental and physical health problems. The presence and severity of health problems may help explain the behaviors that led to their involvement in the criminal justice system and make it critical they receive the appropriate medical services both in the system and upon their release. Most of those arrested do not end up at trial. Of those who are tried, about two-thirds are sentenced to probation after a trial, allowing a true opportunity for therapeutic intervention in the community. Given the preponderance of low-income youth involved with the juvenile justice system, it is likely that many who enter are enrolled in or eligible for Medicaid. States and local governments face stiff challenges in organizing and funding services for troubled youth. One challenge is to make Medicaid work better for this population during those times an individual is not in a public institution. Another challenge is to ensure that quality and effective services are provided to individuals both during and after their involvement in the juvenile justice system. Medicaid presents unique limits and opportunities compared to state and local funding. Services provided to those involved in the juvenile justice system are impacted by these funding matters. This paper describes these limits and opportunities, and highlights a number of promising practices and service models in states. Details: Portland, ME: National Academy for State Health Policy, 2006. 27p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 1, 2010 at: Year: 2006 Country: United States URL: Shelf Number: 120146 Keywords: Health CareJuvenile OffendersMedical CareMental Health Services |
Author: Zemel, Sarabeth Title: Findings from a Survey of Juvenile Justice and Medicaid policies Affecting Children in the Juvenile Justice System: Inter-Agency Collaboration Summary: Medicaid is important to juvenile justice-involved youth both as a health care financing mechanism and as a way to access physical and behavioral health services. The National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP), with the support of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, is working with the Models for Change grantee organizations and state policymakers to address the health needs of youth in the juvenile justice system. This issue brief from NASHP is the first in a series that highlights findings from surveys of juvenile justice and Medicaid agencies in order to determine policies around health care and Medicaid for youth involved in the juvenile justice system. The paper focuses on findings related to inter-agency collaboration, as well as educating juvenile justice agencies and staff about Medicaid policies, and data collection about the population both agencies serve. Details: Portland, ME: National Academy for State Health Policy, 2009. 11p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 29, 2010 at: http://www.nashp.org/sites/default/files/JuvJust.pdf Year: 2009 Country: United States URL: http://www.nashp.org/sites/default/files/JuvJust.pdf Shelf Number: 120144 Keywords: Health CareJuvenile OffendersMedicaidMental Health Services |
Author: Zemel, Sarabeth Title: Medicaid Eligibility, Enrollment, and Retention Policies: Findings from a Survey of Juvenile Justice and Medicaid Policies Affecting Children in the Juvenile Justice System Summary: This issue brief from NASHP is the second in a series that highlights findings from surveys of juvenile justice and Medicaid agencies in order to determine policies around health care and Medicaid for youth involved in the juvenile justice system. The paper focuses on findings related to Medicaid enrollment and retention policies for juvenile justice-involved youth. Details: Portland, ME: National Academy for State Health Policy, 2009. 14p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 29, 2010 at: http://www.nashp.org/sites/default/files/MacFound11-09.pdf Year: 2009 Country: United States URL: http://www.nashp.org/sites/default/files/MacFound11-09.pdf Shelf Number: 120300 Keywords: Health CareJuvenile OffendersMedicaid |
Author: de Viggiani, Nick Title: Police Custody Healthcare: An Evaluation of an NHS Commissioned Pilot to Deliver a Police Custody Health Service in a Partnership Between Dorset Primary Care Trust and Dorset Police Summary: This evaluation was sponsored by Dorset Primary Care Trust and the South West Strategic Health Authority to examine the local commissioning relationship established to provide police custody healthcare across Dorset's three 24/7 custody suites, located in Poole, Weymouth and Bournemouth. This initiative has the status of a national pilot, and the evaluation is expected to carry lessons for a wide range of audiences in and beyond Dorset. A police custody medical service has operated within Dorset for many years using General Practitioners contracted on a part-time basis as Forensic Physicians (previously referred to as Forensic Medical Examiners or Police Surgeons). Historically, this has been customary practice in the UK, where GPs have been contracted to the police on a part-time basis, although increasing numbers are specialising in forensic work and work as full-time Forensic Physicians, particularly since the establishment of the Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine in 2005. The switch to provision commissioned by the NHS was introduced to Dorset in 2008, as a Department of Health/Home Office national pilot. Its purpose was essentially to examine the efficacy of the NHS taking a strategic lead in commissioning police custody healthcare, and, more specifically, to pilot the transfer of commissioning and budgetary responsibility from Dorset Police to Dorset Primary Care Trust. Throughout this trial period, the service has continued to be contracted to an independent provider but is now governed by a partnership agreement between the NHS commissioner and Dorset Police, as the two lead organizations, and through a local partnership board. This shift to mainstream health provision likely reflects the following key areas of thinking: a) concern that a disproportionate number of people entering the criminal justice system present in police custody with significant complex health and social care problems, particularly involving mental illness and/or drug or alcohol dependency, and often require urgent treatment and care; b) perception that the former medical approach to police custody healthcare was inadequate in terms of addressing the complex needs of people entering the criminal justice system, particularly in preventing deaths in custody, a source of intensifying political and professional concern; c) successful reform of prison healthcare, with the shift of commissioning and provision to the NHS in 2006; and d) an emerging "offender pathway‟ health policy focus, led by the Department of Health, that is advocated by the Bradley Report, into which this Dorset pilot fed its experience, and which implies a continuous and integrated approach to the management of health and social needs of people who move through the criminal justice system, between community and custody settings. At the heart of this innovation is the principle of health and social care as a fundamental citizen right. Furthermore, the Audit Commission's 1998 review of the provision of forensic medical services to the police concluded that the service needed to be reformed for the following reasons: [1] difficulties recruiting Forensic Physicians; [2] variable standards of service around the country; [3] inadequate clinical facilities within some custody suites; [4] poor communication and feedback; [5] lack of formal contractual arrangements in some areas; and [5] lack of clear management structure and scrutiny. The service delivered through this pilot represents a shift from the more traditional forensic medical service to one led predominantly by custody nurses. In place of physicians on call, the pilot, as agreed between the NHS Commissioner and Dorset Police required a 24 hour, 7 day nurse presence in each custody suite. An innovative feature of the pilot was the aspiration to link constant nursing presence to a broad triage service, linking police custody detainees to a range of integrated community-based services to address alcohol and drug dependency and other mental and physical healthcare needs. The focus of the evaluation was to understand the commissioning relationship and its impact, given that the key innovative aspect of the Dorset scheme was the introduction of NHS commissioning via an NHS organization (a Primary Care Trust). This particular case of commissioning involves the NHS contracting services on the premises and in the area of action of another public sector service. All Primary Care Trusts are now required to operate as "commissioners‟ in procuring and developing health services, and they are held accountable for their effectiveness as commissioners. Details: Bristol, UK: School of Health and Social Care, University of the West of England, 2010. 55p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 30, 2010 at: http://eprints.uwe.ac.uk/8253/1/PC_Evaluation_final.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://eprints.uwe.ac.uk/8253/1/PC_Evaluation_final.pdf Shelf Number: 120318 Keywords: Health CareMedical CareMental Health ServicesPolice Custody (UK) |
Author: Fossey, Matt Title: Under the Radar: Women with Borderline Personality Disorder in Prison Summary: Women in prison are particularly vulnerable to mental health problems and self-harm. It is estimated that around a fifth of women in custody fulfil criteria for borderline personality disorder (BPD), making it a significant issue for the prison health service and an expensive drain on limited prison management resources. Despite the principle of ‘equivalence of care’ in prison health care, guidelines for the management of BPD are rarely observed in prisons. In addition to health care deficits, the prison environment can be traumatic for women with BPD due to the hostile, punitive environment and the experience of incarceration. Family environments are significantly disrupted for all women on custodial sentences, with children frequently relocated and one in ten sent into social care. Women with BPD often have unstable family environments prior to being taken into custody, compounding the effect of this disruption. Looking ahead to future generations, this upset to family life may contribute to the effects of ‘transgenerational transmission’ of criminal behaviour and mental health problems. We recommend: Increased screening and appropriate diversion should be implemented to avoid custodial sentences where possible for women with BPD; Prison staff could benefit from increased training to raise awareness and improve the quality of care in prison; Where custodial sentences are necessary, evidence-based therapeutic interventions should be available to support women with BPD in prison; Where appropriate, evidence-based family interventions should be made available. Details: London: Centre for Mental Health, 2010. 15p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 2, 2010 at: http://www.centreformentalhealth.org.uk/pdfs/under_the_radar.pdf Year: 2010 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.centreformentalhealth.org.uk/pdfs/under_the_radar.pdf Shelf Number: 120341 Keywords: Female InmatesFemale Offenders (U.K.)Health CareMental Health ServicesMentally Ill Offenders |
Author: Center for HIV Law and Policy Title: Juvenile Injustice: The Unfulfilled Rights of Youth in State Custody to Comprehensive Sexual Health Care Summary: This is the first legal report and guide on the rights of youth in detention and foster care facilities to comprehensive sexual health care, including sexual medical care, sexuality education, and staff training on sexual orientation and the needs and rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth. This publication analyzes the foundation of this right and the sexual health care needs of youth in out-of-home care. Youth in state custody, particularly LGBTQ youth, are at higher than average risk of acquiring sexually transmitted infections and HIV but there is not one state in the country that guarantees access to the necessary sexual medical care and scientifically accurate and inclusive sexuality education that would address this health crisis. Youth in out-of-home-care report sexual activity at earlier ages, higher-risk sexual activity and greater rates of STIs and HIV than youth who live with family members. These sexual health risks are additionally severe for LGBTQ youth, who are disproportionately represented in state detention and foster care facilities yet are largely ignored in health care and education services. According to a recent Department of Justice Report, gay youth also are also more likely to be the victims of sexual abuse while confined to juvenile facilities. Details: New York: Center for HIV Law and Policy, 2010. 53p. Source: Internet Resource: accessed December 10, 2010 at: http://www.hivlawandpolicy.org/resources/view/565 Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: http://www.hivlawandpolicy.org/resources/view/565 Shelf Number: 120437 Keywords: Health CareHIV (Viruses)Human Immunodefiency VirusJuvenile DetentionJuvenile Inmates |
Author: Stover, Heino Title: Towards a Continuum of Care in the EU Criminal Justice System: A Survey of Prisoners Needs in Four Countries (Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland) Summary: Most of the ‘new’ Member States of the EU have, to varying degrees, implemented effective treatment programs and harm reduction projects outside of the prison system. However, effective drug treatment and BBV prevention programs within the prison walls and follow up services for released inmates with problematic drug use still have, in most new Member States, to be developed. Overall, prison policies and practices, in particular in dealing with drug users and related (infectious) diseases, remain an important EU concern. In few of the new Member States the public health imperative of a healthy prison system receives the political attention it deserves. The objectives of the study are operationalised into concrete questions on (i) prevalence, (ii) nature and severity, (iii) characteristics and correlates of problematic drug use, including risk behaviours for HIV and other infectious diseases, (iv) need for care and treatment services and available support systems. The study also assesses differences in prevalence, nature, characteristics and need for services associated with gender and ethnicity. Details: Oldenberg: BIS-Verlag, der Carl von Ossietzky Universitat Oldenburg, 2011. 285p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 22, 2010 at: http://www.connectionsproject.eu/the-project Year: 2011 Country: Europe URL: http://www.connectionsproject.eu/the-project Shelf Number: 120587 Keywords: Drug Abuse TreatmentHealth CareMedical CarePrisons (Europe) |
Author: Takacs, Istvan Gabor Title: Prisons and Risks: Results of the Research Study Entitled "Risk Behaviours Related to Blood Borne and Sexually Transmitted Infections, Drug Use and Services in the Hungarian Prison System" Summary: The aim of this research was to assess risk factors of drug use and transmission of blood borne and sexually transmitted infections within the Hungarian prison system, and also to assess the need, the barriers and the possibilities for harm reduction information providing and service implementation. The research further aimed at developing tools for harm reduction information providing and counseling within the prison system. Details: Budapest: Hungarian Civil Liberties Union, 2010. 50p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 22, 2010 at: http://www.connectionsproject.eu/the-project Year: 2010 Country: Hungary URL: http://www.connectionsproject.eu/the-project Shelf Number: 120588 Keywords: Drug Abuse TreatmentDrug OffendersHealth CareMedical CarePrisons (Hungary) |
Author: National Advisory Committee on Health and Disability (National Health Committee) Title: Review of Research on the Effects of Imprisonment on the Health of Inmates and their Families Summary: Around the developed world, a growing and changing prison population has given rise to renewed interest in the effects of incarceration on the health of inmates. This is a population with many complex and often co-morbid health needs, and the difficulty in separating and determining causal links has led many to conclude that health needs are „imported‟ by inmates rather than being a product of their experience of incarceration. The truth is almost certainly a combination. Prisoners comprise a number of more vulnerable population groups such as young people, older people, people with intellectual or physical impairments, women, and Māori and Pacific people (both overrepresented among the prison population). Each group has particular health vulnerabilities and needs which must be met within an institutional environment designed, by and large, for adult men of European descent who are „sound‟ in „mind and body‟. Although prison is sometimes a setting for health improvement, the environment is in many ways a severe risk to the prisoner and to his or her family. Suicide and self-harm can be more likely among inmates. Mental health problems and addictions are prevalent and often co-morbid in prisons. Prisoners are at far greater risk of death immediately after release, supporting the view that the health of prisoners must be treated within a broader context which incorporates connections with family and continuity of care from community to prison and back to community. Communicable diseases and the behaviours that spread them are commonly developed within the prison environment. The conditions of prison can exacerbate deterioration in older prisoners and those with pre-existing health conditions. Evidence suggests that the emotional and psychological pressures of incarceration; health issues in their own right; are also linked to the development of many chronic conditions. The experiences of life within the custodial world can also be psychologically damaging – triggering memories of past trauma or abuse, inspiring behavioural adaptations (hyper-vigilance, secretiveness, aggression, and so on) that translate poorly into family life, and undermine the prisoner‟s roles in the family and community and ultimately, their identity. The families and children of inmates suffer from a range of factors associated with both the removal and the re-entry of a family member. Financial pressures and deterioration of social ties while a partner is incarcerated can lead to significant psychological strain for parent and children alike. For children, poor outcomes that have been linked with the imprisonment of a parent include behavioural problems such as aggression, hyperactivity and delinquency; mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, eating disorders and low self-esteem; and developmental problems such as regression and difficulty in school. Incarceration has been shown to have a deleterious effect on vulnerable communities, in which erosion of social networks and social capital are incorporated into a cycle – often intergenerational – of criminality, reduced life chances and imprisonment. Large gaps remain in the body of research, notably collection of basic health status and health needs, benchmarking to evaluate improvement and information sharing among agencies and between agencies and health professionals. Furthermore, due to an overwhelming assumption that health issues are completely imported, the question of the health effects of prison is not being adequately addressed anywhere in the world. Although there are many omissions in the international literature, the most glaring include the impact of imprisonment on oral health, the quantification of physical injuries in prisons, the effects on or deterioration of (existing) disabilities including vision and hearing and the medical impacts on the children and families of inmates. All of these are also missing from local information. There are also many debates New Zealand is failing to engage in. These include: the experience of imprisonment; the collateral consequences of incarceration and its effect on the children, families and communities of prisoners; the experience and effects of home detention; the influence prison has during different developmental stages and the implications for categorisation, legislation and penal design; the experience of elderly prisoners and the needs of the greying prison population; the rate of violence, bullying and sexual abuse in New Zealand prisons; the experience and health needs of prison staff; the post-release experience - including mortality - and the health and service delivery outcomes for prisoners with disabilities. Details: Wellington, NZ: National Health Committee, 2008?. 66p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 11, 2011 at: http://www.nhc.health.govt.nz/moh.nsf/pagescm/7506/$File/prisoner-health-review-aug08.pdf Year: 2008 Country: New Zealand URL: http://www.nhc.health.govt.nz/moh.nsf/pagescm/7506/$File/prisoner-health-review-aug08.pdf Shelf Number: 120973 Keywords: DisabilityHealth CareInmates (New Zealand)Mental HealthPrisoners |
Author: Gerra, Gilberto Title: From Coercion to Cohesion: Treating Drug Dependence Through Health Care, Not Punishment. Discussion Paper Summary: The aim of this draft discussion paper, “From coercion to cohesion: Treating drug dependence through health care, not punishment”, is to promote a health-oriented approach to drug dependence. The International Drug Control Conventions give Member States the flexibility to adopt such an approach. Treatment offered as alternative to criminal justice sanctions has to be evidence-based and in line with ethical standards. This paper outlines a model of referral from the criminal justice system to the treatment system that is more effective than compulsory treatment, which results in less restriction of liberty, is less stigmatising and offers better prospects for the future of the individual and the society. Drug dependence treatment without the consent of the patient should only be considered a short-term option of last resort in some acute emergency situations and needs to follow the same ethical and scientific standards as voluntary-based treatment. Human rights violations carried out in the name of “treatment” are not compliant with this approach. Details: Geneva: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2010. 22p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 21, 2011 at: http://www.unodc.org/docs/treatment/Coercion_Ebook.pdf Year: 2010 Country: International URL: http://www.unodc.org/docs/treatment/Coercion_Ebook.pdf Shelf Number: 121088 Keywords: Drug Abuse and AddictionHealth CareSubstance Abuse Treatment |
Author: Indig, Devon Title: 2009 NSW Young People in Custody Health Survey: Full Report Summary: In 2003, the NSW Department of Juvenile Justice (now Department of Human Services - Juvenile Justice, but referred to in this report as Juvenile Justice), with research and clinical support provided by Justice Health (previously known as Corrections Health Service), conducted the first Young People in Custody Health Survey (YPICHS) among 242 young people. The survey highlighted the social disadvantage, poorer physical and mental health and high prevalence of risk behaviours such as alcohol and drug abuse among participants. The findings from the survey were utilised by Juvenile Justice and Justice Health (who became responsible for the health of young people in custody in February 2003) to guide policy and program development, including providing important evidence to support applications for additional funding. Juvenile Justice and Justice Health worked together to repeat the YPICHS survey in 2009. The primary aim of the 2009 YPICHS was to gain a picture of the health status of young people in juvenile detention across NSW, including monitoring trends in health status and risk factors between 2003 and 2009. The 2009 YPICHS included the following components: • Baseline Survey including a health questionnaire, physical health examination (including blood and urine tests), dental examination, offending behaviour and psychological assessment • Follow-up Surveys at 3, 6 and 12 months • Data linkage over five years for key health and offending data collections This report presents main findings for the baseline survey only, with results presented by gender and Aboriginality. Where possible, comparisons are made with indicators collected in 2003. Future reports will include the findings from the followup surveys and the data linkage study. Details: Sydney: Justice Health and Juvenile Justice, 2011. 224p. Source: Internet Resoruce: Accessed April 16, 2011 at: http://www.justicehealth.nsw.gov.au/publications/YPICHS_full.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Australia URL: http://www.justicehealth.nsw.gov.au/publications/YPICHS_full.pdf Shelf Number: 121371 Keywords: Health CareJuvenile DetentionJuvenile Inmates (Australia)Mental Health Services |
Author: Morrish, Dawn Title: A Health Needs Assessment of the Hertfordshire Probation Trust Caseload Summary: There is much literature about the health, particularly mental health of prisoners, but very little about the health needs of offenders in the community. Offender Health Care Strategies concluded that offenders in the community would have similar needs to prisoners, mainly physical health, mental health and substance misuse needs. Whereas, at the end of March 2010 there were 85,184 people (80,894 males and 4,290 females) in custody in England and Wales a rise of 2,200 from March 2009. Amongst the remand population, the largest change since March 2009 by offence group was for drugs offences, which were up by 10%. One of the biggest requirements for community orders and suspended sentence orders from Q4 2008-Q4 2009 was for alcohol treatment, up by 13%. Compared to sentenced offenders there were 241,504 offenders being managed in the community by the National Probation Service as at end December, 2009. For Hertfordshire Probation Trust this figure was 3,487 compared to a prison population of 768 at HMP The Mount, Hertfordshire’s Category C male prison. If offender health is to be effectively addressed, the focus needs to widen to address offender health needs rather than emphasis on health care for prisoners. In the community many offenders seem to have difficulty accessing mainstream health services, and tend to overuse Accident and Emergency centres, but have very little provision of preventive health care or health promotion. The physical and mental health care needs of offenders in the criminal justice system have long been subject to calls for reform. Improving outcomes for this group is important both in terms of re-offending rates and successful rehabilitation. Offenders are subject to considerable health inequalities. They are much more likely to experience mental health problems or have a learning difficulty and are more likely to have problems with drugs and alcohol. Details: Hertfordshire, UK: Hertfordshire Probation Trust and National Health Service Hertfordshire, 2011. 41p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 10, 2011 at: http://www.ohrn.nhs.uk/resource/policy/NeedsassessmentHertfordshireProbation.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.ohrn.nhs.uk/resource/policy/NeedsassessmentHertfordshireProbation.pdf Shelf Number: 121693 Keywords: Alcohol AbuseCommunity-based CorrectionsDrug Abuse TreatmentHealth CareMental Health ServicesProbationers (U.K.)RehabilitationSubstance Abuse Treatment |
Author: Jackson, Martin Title: Acquired Brain Injury in the Victorian Prison System Summary: This research set out to gain an understanding of the prevalence of acquired brain injury (ABI) among Victorian prisoners and to test an ABI screening tool to assist with identification of brain injury in this population. The study employed a three-stage process of initial screening, clinical interview and comprehensive neuropsychological assessment. One hundred and ten adult male prisoners and 86 adult female prisoners took part in the initial screen, with 74 males and 43 females completing the neuropsychological assessment. Individuals with an ABI appear to be substantially overrepresented in the Victorian prison population. Comprehensive neuropsychological assessment indicated that 42 per cent of male prisoners and 33 per cent of female prisoners from Stage Three had an ABI. This compares with an estimated prevalence of ABI among the general Australian population of two per cent (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2007). Of prisoners assessed as having an ABI, six per cent of males and seven per cent of females were rated as having a severe ABI, which is consistent with figures for the general population. Drug and alcohol use appeared to be the main cause of ABI among prisoners, while in the general population traumatic head injury is the most common cause. Prisoners also reported substantially higher rates of drug and alcohol use than are typically reported in the community, as well high rates of co-morbid psychiatric conditions. These findings point to the need for a coordinated and multi-disciplinary approach to addressing the therapeutic needs of prisoners with an ABI. The nature of cognitive deficits identified in the current study also suggests that prisoners with a severe ABI are likely to have difficulty functioning in a prison environment, and may require specific assistance from correctional staff as well as altered approaches to the delivery of offending behaviour programs. In light of the study findings, Corrections Victoria is currently developing a comprehensive service model and has also implemented a specialist, multifocused pilot across part of the prison and community correctional service to work with offenders with an ABI. Details: Melbourne: Victoria Department of Justice, 2011. 31p. Source: Internet Resource: Corrections Research Paper Series, Paper No. 04: Accessed July 1, 2011 at: http://www.justice.vic.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/justlib/DOJ+Internet/resources/9/b/9b711080468f099b99d59d4d58beb1dd/Acquired_Brain_Injury_in_the_Victorian_Prison_System.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Australia URL: http://www.justice.vic.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/justlib/DOJ+Internet/resources/9/b/9b711080468f099b99d59d4d58beb1dd/Acquired_Brain_Injury_in_the_Victorian_Prison_System.pdf Shelf Number: 121945 Keywords: Drug Abuse and AdditionDrug OffendersHealth CareInmatesMental Health ServicesPrisoners (Australia) |
Author: Indig, Devon Title: 2009 NSW Inmate Health Survey: Aboriginal Health Report Summary: The 2009 NSW Inmate Health Survey: Aboriginal Health Report is the first report to provide an Aboriginal-specific focus on inmates of NSW. The report complements the findings of the 2009 NSW Inmate Health Survey: Key Findings Report and provides greater insights into the health of Aboriginal people in custody. Mental health problems, drug and alcohol dependence, and blood borne viruses are all highly prevalent among Aboriginal inmates. Smoking rates remain high at 83% among men and 88% among women. Half of Aboriginal women and one third of Aboriginal men demonstrated signs of moderate to severe depression and multiple risk factors for chronic diseases. This survey shows that the health needs of Aboriginal people in custody are growing. The prevalence of mental health issues, chronic disease and high risk alcohol use (by Aboriginal men) has increased since previous surveys. Aboriginal women in particular reported poorer general health; 23% reported fair to poor health in 1996 compared to 32% in 2009. This disparity in health for Aboriginal people in custody cannot be explained by socio-economic disadvantage alone. This population is most often affected also by structural disadvantage such as lower educational attainment, higher unemployment, poor or overcrowded housing, geographic isolation and barriers to accessing health services. High rates of hazardous alcohol and drug use, violence (both victims and perpetrators) and mental health and well-being problems are both a cause and effect of health inequality. The complexities of these issues present ongoing challenges for Justice Health and our key stakeholders. Adding to the health burden is the increasing number of Aboriginal people coming into custody and staying for longer periods. Details: Sydney: Justice Health, 2010. 80p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 6, 2011 at: http://www.justicehealth.nsw.gov.au/publications/Inmate_Health_Survey_Aboriginal_Health_Report.pdf Year: 2010 Country: Australia URL: http://www.justicehealth.nsw.gov.au/publications/Inmate_Health_Survey_Aboriginal_Health_Report.pdf Shelf Number: 121972 Keywords: Health CareIndigenous PeoplesInmates (Australia)Prisoners |
Author: Hovane, Victoria Title: Closing the Gap on Family Violence: Driving Prevention and Intervention Through Health Policy Summary: Family violence in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities remains a significant social issue with far-reaching implications for service provision in the health arena, with impacts including: physical injuries; depression, trauma and anxiety; sexually transmitted disease; and substance use. Despite these significant health consequences, family violence has generally not been prioritised in health policy or responses. Instead, policing, legal/judicial and women’s policy approaches have become the key responses to addressing family violence in Australia, as in many western countries. Given that the health system often deals directly with the consequences of family violence, it is ideally placed to play an important role in preventing and responding to family violence. The paper examines the potential for health policies, like the Closing the Gap in Indigenous Health Outcomes strategy, to better engage with the issue of family violence and, thereby, address a major contributor to poor health outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Details: Sydney: Australian Domestic and Family Violence Clearinghouse, 2011. 26p. Source: Internet Resource: Issues Paper 21: Accessed July 7, 2011 at: http://www.austdvclearinghouse.unsw.edu.au/PDF%20files/IssuesPaper_21.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Australia URL: http://www.austdvclearinghouse.unsw.edu.au/PDF%20files/IssuesPaper_21.pdf Shelf Number: 122002 Keywords: Domestic ViolenceFamily Violence (Australia)Health CareIndigenous PeoplesIntimate Partner Violence |
Author: Baidawi, Susan Title: Older Prisoners -- A Challenge for Australian Corrections Summary: Corrections statistics in Australia indicate a clear trend towards increased numbers of older prisoners and the growth of this inmate group is paralleled in prisons in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand. Older prisoner populations present a number of challenges for governments, correctional administrators, healthcare providers and community agencies. This paper looks at the issue of defining the older prisoner and explores the rise in older inmate populations throughout Australia — both at the national level and across the states and territories. The concerns pertaining to the management of older prisoners are examined, including the costs of responding to rising healthcare needs, as well as issues surrounding accommodation and correctional programs for older prisoners. Various solutions and strategies that have been adopted internationally in various correctional settings are also discussed, including the establishment of special needs units for older prisoners and the employment of specialist staff. Finally, the paper discusses the implications of the rise in older prisoner numbers for corrections policymakers and researchers in the Australian context. Details: Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology, 2011. 8p. Source: Internet Resource: Trends & Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice No. 426: Accessed August 23, 2011 at: http://www.aic.gov.au/documents/F/C/5/%7BFC556827-B995-497B-AE69-D2C2B85922C2%7Dtandi426_001.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Australia URL: http://www.aic.gov.au/documents/F/C/5/%7BFC556827-B995-497B-AE69-D2C2B85922C2%7Dtandi426_001.pdf Shelf Number: 122464 Keywords: Elderly Inmates (Australia)Health CarePrisoners |
Author: Albright, Danielle Title: An Evaluation of a New Mexico Department of Corrections Dental Treatment Program: Findings from Participant Intake Interviews Summary: In March 2008, the New Mexico Department of Corrections (NMDOC) Education Bureau, in collaboration with the NMDOC Probation and Parole Division, implemented a pilot dental repair program for parolees currently under NMDOC supervision. The intent of the program is to provide services for parolees with significant dental problems in hopes of reducing visible barriers to employment, thus increasing their chances of successful reentry. The program was funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice under the Edward Byrne Memorial Grant Program. The NMDOC contracted the University of New Mexico Hospital Dentistry Department to perform dental treatments. The New Mexico Statistical Analysis Center (NMSAC) at the University of New Mexico‘s Institute for Social Research (ISR) was contracted to provide an evaluation of program implementation and outcomes. There is a substantial body of research suggesting that dental health is a major problem for prisoners. Researchers have consistently found that prisoners report significantly more dental problems than the general population (Lund et al., 2002; Mixson et al., 1990, O‘Brien and Lee, 2006, Salive, Corolla, & Brewer, 1989). While this clearly suggests a medical need for expanded dental treatment for prisoners, the prevalence of dental problems for prisoners may also have implications for reentry. Given the large prison population in United States today (Listwan et al., 2008) and that an estimated 67.5% of inmates are rearrested within three years of being released (Langan and Levin, 2002), the issue of prisoner reentry has been described as at "the forefront of domestic public policy" (Kubrin and Stewart, 2006: 166) and is currently receiving a large amount of attention from academics and practitioners. While a substantial body of research has investigated the individual factors associated with reentry success (Benedict & Huff-Cordine, 1997; Ulmer, 2001; Listwan et al., 2003), research on reentry has not yet examined the influence of dental health and dental treatment on recidivism. This may be an important oversight, as previous research suggests two mechanisms through which dental health may be linked to reentry success. First, a small body of research suggests that physical appearance is correlated with perceived criminality, affecting the way a person is treated by both the general public and the criminal justice system and therefore indirectly influencing recidivism outcomes (Bull, 1982). In this sense, improving the dental appearance of ex-offenders may reduce their perceived criminality, which in turn may result in more legitimate opportunities. Research also suggests that dental health and appearance are related to self-esteem (Patzer, 1995), which in turn is thought to be linked to desistance. More specifically, research suggests that self-appraisals of dental appearance were more strongly related to self-esteem than general appraisals of appearance (Kanealy et al., 1991) and that missing teeth were especially problematic (Oosterhaven, Westert, & Schaub, 1989). As a whole, this research indicates that negatively perceived dental appearance and poor dental health are related to decreased levels of self-esteem. Self-esteem, which is related to other social psychological constructs like self-efficacy and sense of control (Skinner, 1996), is thought to be an important component in the desistance process. This is exemplified by Maruna (2001, 2006), who argues that desistance is only possible when offenders adopt a prosocial identity and empirically demonstrates that self-perceptions are related to post release success (2004). Second, dental treatment may be related to employment success. Research has shown that dental and facial appearance is strongly correlated with evaluations of attractiveness and professionalism (Eli, Bar-Tal, & Kostovetzki, 2001) and that employer evaluations of attractiveness and professionalism are related to employability (Avrey & Campion, 1982; Rankin & Borah, 2003). Perhaps more importantly, research suggests that dental treatment is related to favorable occupational outcomes. While a host of other factors are likely to be more directly related to employment outcomes, early research on this topic revealed that five years after treatment, there was still a modest, yet significant, positive relationship between occupational rank and having received dental treatment (Rutzen, 1973). More recently, a study of dental intervention for welfare recipients found that individuals who participated in a dental treatment program and received all prescribed treatment were twice as likely to report a favorable or neutral employment outcome as individuals who did not complete the program (Hyde, Satariano, & Weintraub, 2006). The relationship between dental appearance and employability is important for evaluating the reentry process, as sociological and criminological research suggests that there may be a relationship between incarceration and unemployment (Freeman, 1992; Laub & Sampson, 1993), incarceration and earnings potential (Western, 2002; Western, Kling, & Weiman, 2001) and employment and recidivism (Uggen, 2000; Uggen & Staff, 2001). The issue of employability is of extra importance for ex-prisoners, as this population suffers from both a general lack of work-related skills (Graffam, Shinkfield, & Hardcastle, 2008) and from the stigma associated with being an ex-convict (Uggen, Manza, & Behrens, 2003). Details: Albuquerque, NM: New Mexico Statistical Analysis Center, 2009. 45p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 28, 2011 at: http://nmsac.unm.edu/contact_information/nmsac_publications/ Year: 2009 Country: United States URL: http://nmsac.unm.edu/contact_information/nmsac_publications/ Shelf Number: 122933 Keywords: Dental CareEx-Offenders, EmploymentHealth CareParoleesPrisoner Reentry (New Mexico)Recidivism |
Author: Albright, Danielle Title: Reducing Barriers to Re-Entry: Assessing the Implementation and Impact of a Pilot Dental Repair Program for Parolees Summary: In March 2008, the New Mexico Department of Corrections (NMDOC) Education Bureau, in collaboration with the NMDOC Probation and Parole Division, implemented a pilot dental repair program for parolees currently under NMDOC supervision. The intent of the program was to provide services for parolees with significant dental problems in hopes of reducing visible barriers to employment, thus increasing their chances of successful reentry. The program was funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice under the Edward Byrne Memorial Grant Program. The NMDOC contracted with the University of New Mexico Hospital Dentistry Department to perform dental treatments. The New Mexico Statistical Analysis Center (SAC) at the University of New Mexico’s Institute for Social Research (ISR) was contracted to provide an evaluation of program implementation and outcomes. The NMSAC issued a report in December, 2009, detailing program implementation. The current report focuses on program outcomes. The primary objectives for this report (continuing from the initial report) include: Objective 4: To examine the effect of population characteristics (demographic, education, employment, criminal history, and corrections history) on three outcomes--completion of the dental treatment, completion of the program, and probation/parole performance. Objective 5: To describe how participants articulate the impact of dental treatment on education, employment, and personal relationships. We will also compare participant reported effects to those anticipated prior to receiving the dental treatment. Objective 6: To assess how participants experienced the dental treatment program from intake to completion. Here we focus on participant perceptions of the organization and delivery of the dental treatment program. Objective 7: To assess the fidelity of program delivery with program goals and objectives. Details: Albuquerque, NM: New Mexico Statistical Analysis Center, 2011. 34p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 28, 2011 at: Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: Shelf Number: 122934 Keywords: Dental CareEx-Offenders, EmploymentHealth CareParoleesPrisoner Reentry (New Mexico)Recidivism |
Author: Belfast Drug and Alcohol Working Group Title: Scoping Report on Drugs and Alcohol Services in Belfast Summary: This report presents a substantial insight into the current situation in relation to drugs and alcohol use and more importantly, it gives an overview of service provision currently in place to tackle substance misuse in the Belfast area. The drive behind this scoping report began in late 2009 when a number of community and statutory sector individuals came together to voice their concerns, especially in a North Belfast context, around drug and alcohol issues impacting on local communities and the need for a more Belfast-focussed co-ordinated approach. This small group felt it was timely to take an innovative Belfast-wide approach to this area of work. Initial meetings were held with John McGeown, Assistant Director of Mental Health Services in the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust; Billy Hutchinson of Mount Vernon Community Development Association; Frances Black and Brian Allen of the RISE Foundation and Mary Black, Assistant Director of Public Health, Health and Social Wellbeing Improvement in the Public Health Agency along with Irene Sherry from the Bridge of Hope in order to consider the issues facing agencies in Belfast. However, it soon became clear that more stakeholders should be invited to participate in order to ensure a fully inclusive collective approach was adopted. Throughout 2010 representatives from a number of key statutory organisations and community/ voluntary providers met to undertake an initial scoping exercise. From this initial analysis, it was clear that there was a lot of work being funded or commissioned but that awareness of services and, more importantly, linking up of service provision was not always in place or as effective as it needed to be. With this in mind the group agreed that it would be worthwhile to spend some time looking at the gaps and issues locally and analyse the situation with a view to creating an overview report with recommendations for consideration, primarily by the Public Health Agency and the Eastern Drugs and Alcohol Coordination Team, but also by other statutory agencies with a responsibility for, or interest in, addressing drugs and alcohol misuse. Our recommendations focus on longer term planning and more cohesive partnership working as well as simplifying access to and participation in existing service provision. It is acknowledged that whilst many agencies are delivering services in this area, there is a lack of awareness of provision both within the health and social care sector itself and outside in the wider community/voluntary sector. Our recommendations focus on longer term planning and more cohesive partnership working as well as simplifying access to and participation in existing service provision. It is acknowledged that whilst many agencies are delivering services in this area, there is a lack of awareness of provision both within the health and social care sector itself and outside in the wider community/voluntary sector. Details: Belfast: Public Health Agency, 2011. 96p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 29, 2011 at: http://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/16010/1/Scoping_Belfast.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/16010/1/Scoping_Belfast.pdf Shelf Number: 123172 Keywords: Alcohol Abuse (Belfast)Alcohol Related Crime, DisorderAlcohol Treatment ProgramsDrug AbuseDrug TreatmentHealth Care |
Author: Davis, Lois M. Title: Understanding the Public Health Implications of Prisoner Reentry in California: State-of-the-State Report Summary: When prisoners are released and return to communities, an often overlooked concern is the health care needs that former prisoners have and the role that health care plays in how successfully they reintegrate. To a large extent, the reentry population will eventually become part of the uninsured and medically indigent populations in communities. This volume examines the health care needs of newly released prisoners in California, including the need for mental health and substance abuse treatment; which communities are most affected by prisoner reentry; the health care system capacity of those communities; and the experiences of released prisoners, service providers, and families of incarcerated individuals. The authors conducted a geographic analysis to identify where parolees are concentrated in California and the capacity of the safety net in four of these communities — Alameda, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Kern counties — to meet the health care needs of the reentry population. They then conducted focus groups in Alameda, Los Angeles, and San Diego counties with former prisoners and their family members and interviews with relevant service providers and community groups to better understand how health affects reentry; the critical roles that health care providers, other social services, and family members play in successful reentry; and how the children and families of ex-prisoners are affected by reentry. The authors discuss all this in the context of budget cuts that have substantially shrunk California's safety net and the May 2011 U.S. Supreme Court decision ordering California to reduce its prison population by 33,000. The volume concludes with recommendations for improving access to care for this population in the current fiscal environment. Details: Santa Monica, CA: RAND, 2011. 252p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 22, 2011 at: http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/monographs/2011/RAND_MG1165.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/monographs/2011/RAND_MG1165.pdf Shelf Number: 123423 Keywords: Health CareMedical CareParoleesPrisoner Reentry (California) |
Author: Brooker, Charlie Title: A Health Needs Assessment of Offenders on Probation Caseloads in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire - Report of a Pilot Study Summary: This study was commissioned by the Care Services Improvement Partnership (CSIP) in the East Midlands to investigate the health needs of a sample group offenders managed by The Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Probation Services. This study has shown that offenders have significantly worse health than the general population and that their health needs are different, in a number of respects, to those of prisoners. It also shows that offenders will consent to a health assessment and that this sort of assessment could be fitted into face-to-face contact with offenders on probation. The key finding to emerge from the study, perhaps, is that whilst community-based offenders seem to access healthcare at the same rate as the general population their health needs are likely to be significantly higher. Thus, supply is much lower than this needs assessment would indicate is appropriate. A much more rigorous research study should be undertaken that: Assesses the validity of offenders’ self-report of access to health services; obtains a representative sample; examines prospectively the relationship between health status, health care and reoffending; estimates the cost of healthcare to community-based offenders and the possible tradeoff obtained in reducing the costs of re-offending. Details: Lincoln, United Kingdom: Center for Clinical and Academic Workforce Innovation, University of Lincoln, 2008. 80p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed on January 26, 2012 at http://eprints.lincoln.ac.uk/2534/1/Probation_HNA.pdf Year: 2008 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://eprints.lincoln.ac.uk/2534/1/Probation_HNA.pdf Shelf Number: 123777 Keywords: Health CareNeeds AssessmentOffender ManagementProbationers(U.K.) |
Author: Brooker, Charlie Title: Health Needs Assessment of Short Sentence Prisoners Summary: East Midlands CSIP Office commissioned a health needs assessment of prisoners serving short sentences in East Midlands’ prisons. Nationally, this group constitute 17% of all those in prison and 60% will have 10 or more previous convictions. Prisoners serving short sentences suffer multiple social disadvantages they are likely to: have truanted from school; half are unemployed and possess no formal qualifications; 15% were homeless or in temporary accommodation; nearly all used illegal drugs in the 12 months prior to a sentence and 40% were problem drinkers. Those serving short sentences are a diverse group encompassing gender, age and ethnicity. They are likely to have a series of needs on release (especially for accommodation) but unless they are under 21 are highly unlikely to be released to the supervision of probation services. The chances of re-offending are high (61%of men and 56% of women). The chances of participating in prison-based education and rehabilitation schemes are diminished because of the nature of the short sentence. One important national study aside (Stewart, 2008) the health needs of this group have not been focused on. Details: Lincoln, United Kingdom: University of Lincoln, 2009. 48p. Source: Project Report. Internet Resource: Accessed on January 26, 2012 at Year: 2009 Country: United Kingdom URL: Shelf Number: 123779 Keywords: Health CarePrison AdministrationPrisoners, Short Term (U.K.) |
Author: Helweg-Larsen, Karin Title: The costs of violence: Economic and personal dimensions of violence against women in Denmark Summary: The aim of the project "The Cost of Violence" has been to give an evidence-based assessment of the various types of costs of violence against women based on available data sources. The comprehensive Danish register-based data and data from population surveys carried out in 2000 and 2005 by the National Institute of Public Health enable us to identify a study population of women exposed to violence and a reference population of other Danish women not identified as victims of violence. For these two groups, we have gathered data on their socioeconomic conditions, contacts with the healthcare and selected labour market consequences. We have calculated the costs to the judicial system related to police-reported violence against women on the basis of exact information on, among others, time consumption within the police, the prosecution and courts combined with specific salary and court imposts, as well as costs of imprisonment and court fees. Information on the costs of violence-exposed women staying at women's crisis centers is based on shelter rates and number of stays per year. The costs to society also include the national budget for a number of initiatives started under the Danish national action plans to fight violence against women, 2002-2009. Estimates of the personal costs to violence-exposed women are included, but they depend greatly on a number of known and unknown psychosocial factors. Victims of domestic violence are different, and the violence which has led to contact with the health services and/or reporting to the police is different from the violence reported in population surveys. Consequently, it is not possible to unambiguously describe "victims of violence," and it is impossible accurately to assess the impact of violence to the individual women in the form of pain and suffering, long-lasting health problems and social changes. But on the basis of our analyses we are able to present estimates that show the average impact on women's health-related quality of life, years of healthy life lost and mortality. Violence manifests itself in many ways; it hits women from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds and in various life situations. The impact of violence depends on a large number of parameters, including the nature of violence, the woman's relations with the assailant, support from others and the vulnerability of the individual woman, social networks as well as other psychosocial factors. Details: Copenhagen, Denmark: National Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, 2010. 26p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed on January 28, 2012 at http://www.niph.dk/upload/summary_the_cost_of_violence-samlet.pdf Year: 2010 Country: Denmark URL: http://www.niph.dk/upload/summary_the_cost_of_violence-samlet.pdf Shelf Number: 123853 Keywords: Crime StatisticsHealth CareVictimization SurveysViolence Against Women (Denmark) |
Author: The Center for HIV Law and Policy Title: Juvenile injustice: The unfulfilled rights of youth in state custody to comprehensive sexual health care Summary: This is the first legal report and guide on the rights of youth in detention and foster care facilities to comprehensive sexual health care, including sexual medical care, sexuality education, and staff training on sexual orientation and the needs and rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth. This publication analyzes the foundation of this right and the sexual health care needs of youth in out-of-home care. Youth in state custody, particularly LGBTQ youth, are at higher than average risk of acquiring sexually transmitted infections and HIV but there is not one state in the country that guarantees access to the necessary sexual medical care and scientifically accurate and inclusive sexuality education that would address this health crisis. Youth in out-of-home-care report sexual activity at earlier ages, higher-risk sexual activity and greater rates of STIs and HIV than youth who live with family members. These sexual health risks are additionally severe for LGBTQ youth, who are proportionately represented in state detention and foster care facilities yet are largely ignored in health care and education services. According to a recent Department of Justice Report, gay youth also are also more likely to be the victims of sexual abuse while confined to juvenile facilities. Juvenile Injustice: The Unfulfilled Rights of Youth in State Custody to Comprehensive Sexual Health Care is the first in a series of publications that CHLP's Teen SENSE (Sexual health and Education Now in State Environments) initiative is developing for legal and community advocates as well as government and public health officials. Teen SENSE brings together medical experts, educators, government agencies, advocates, youth, and others to ensure that all young people in state facilities have access to comprehensive sexual health. Pending additional publications include model standards on sexual medical care, sexuality education, and staff training on LGBTQ issues that can guide policy-making in youth detention centers and congregate foster care across the country. Details: New York, NY: The Center for HIV Law and Policy, 2010. 55p. Source: White Paper: Internet Resource: Accessed on January 31, 2012 at http://www.hivlawandpolicy.org/resources/download/565 Year: 2010 Country: United States URL: http://www.hivlawandpolicy.org/resources/download/565 Shelf Number: 123882 Keywords: Health CareJuvenile Inmates |
Author: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Office of Inspector General Title: Medicaid Managed Care: Fraud and Abuse Concerns Remain Despite Safeguards Summary: We found that although managed care entities (MCE) and States are taking steps to address fraud and abuse in managed care, they remain concerned about their prevalence. States have increasingly adopted managed care in response to Medicaid expenditures, which have nearly doubled in the past decade. CMS requires MCEs to meet specific program integrity requirements as a condition for receiving payment. CMS also requires MCEs to disclose to States certain information, such as ownership and control. States are directly responsible for monitoring MCE operations. CMS's Medicaid Integrity Group (MIG) conducts program integrity reviews of States and MCEs. In 2000, CMS issued guidelines to States for addressing fraud and abuse in Medicaid managed care. The guidelines identified six areas of concern. We surveyed a purposive sample of 46 MCEs and received responses from 45. We conducted structured telephone interviews with the 13 States that contracted with those MCEs. We also reviewed MIG's files from its program integrity reviews of those 13 States and 46 MCEs. All MCEs in our sample reported taking steps to meet the Federal program integrity requirements. All 45 MCEs that responded to our questionnaire provided fraud and abuse safeguard training to their staffs in 2010. Most also reported offering such training to their providers. In 2009, 33 MCEs reported cases of suspected fraud and abuse to their State Medicaid agencies, and 20 MCEs recovered payments from providers that resulted from fraud and abuse. The 13 States in our sample reported taking steps to oversee MCEs' fraud and abuse safeguards. All 13 States conduct desk reviews of MCEs' compliance plans, and 11 States conduct onsite MCE reviews. All 13 States reported requiring that MCEs disclose ownership and control information. Eleven States hold recurring meetings with MCEs and often provide training. The primary concern about Medicaid managed care fraud and abuse-shared by MCEs and States-related to services billed but not received. The major concerns identified in our review largely fall under only one of the six areas included in CMS's 2000 guidelines. Managed care presents challenges in addressing fraud that differ from those in fee-for-service Medicaid. As States increasingly use managed care to deliver Medicaid services, implementing safeguards to protect against fraud and abuse remains essential. We recommend that CMS require that State contracts with MCEs include a method to verify with beneficiaries whether they received services billed by providers. CMS could require States to implement one of several options, such as for MCEs to send explanations of medical benefits to beneficiaries. We also recommend that CMS update guidance to reflect concerns expressed by MCEs and States. CMS could also share best practices and innovative methods that States and MCEs have used to address fraud and abuse concerns and strengthen program integrity oversight. CMS concurred with both recommendations. Details: Washington, DC: Office of Inspector General, Department of Health & Human Services, 2011. 26p. Source: OEI-01-09-00550: Internet Resource: Accessed March 11, 2012 at http://oig.hhs.gov/oei/reports/oei-01-09-00550.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://oig.hhs.gov/oei/reports/oei-01-09-00550.pdf Shelf Number: 124465 Keywords: FraudHealth CareMedicaid |
Author: Gauci, Jean-Pierre Title: Racism in Europe: ENAR Shadow Report 2010-2011 Summary: The aim of ENAR’s Shadow Report on racism in Europe is to provide a civil society perspective on the situation of racism and related discrimination in Europe between March 2010 and March 2011. In view of the 2011 International Year of People of African Descent, this report gives special attention to the ways in which racism and racial discrimination impact the lives of this particular group across Europe. The communities most vulnerable to racism and racial and/or religious discrimination in Europe are various and remain largely similar to those reported in previous Shadow Reports. Key among the communities most affected are people of African descent, black Europeans, migrants (both EU and third country nationals), Roma, Muslims and Jews. A number of national reports also highlight specific communities who are especially vulnerable. There appears to be a link between the vulnerability and experience of discrimination, visible characteristics of difference, and the public’s perception of these characteristics. Further distinctions exist between visible minorities (including nationals of ethnic minority backgrounds) and status minorities (those whose legal status places them in a particularly disadvantaged situation in the country). In the context of employment, some of the key concerns related to minorities and migrants include: unemployment rates, difficulties in the acquisition of relevant documentation and recognition of qualifications, language and cultural barriers, discrimination in recruitment processes, the glass ceiling effect within employment, and unequal working conditions. Particularly at a time of economic downturn, ethnic minorities and migrants have been disproportionately affected by both unemployment and precarious working conditions. Issues faced in the context of housing and accommodation include difficulties in the private rental market, in accessing public housing and funds or loans to purchase property, poor living conditions and overcrowding, discrimination by homeless shelter staff, housing segregation, and a lack of awareness of rights and obligations. Discrimination in education takes a variety of forms, including structural concerns, such as segregation and discrimination by teachers, and more personal concerns, such as language barriers and bullying at the hands of peers. The result is poorer educational attainment by many members of ethnic minorities and migrants and over-representation among early school leavers. Manifestations of racism and related discrimination are also notable in the field of healthcare and include prejudice by staff and patients, significantly lower health outcomes (including greater prevalence of certain chronic conditions), language and cultural barriers, as well as legal challenges (especially in the case of migrants). In terms of access to goods and services, access to bars and places of entertainment, to financial services and to public transport continues to be highlighted as being particularly problematic. In the context of criminal justice, ethnic minorities are more likely to be stopped and searched, to be arrested and prosecuted, and are disproportionately represented in prisons. Ethnic profiling is also carried out in the context of counter-terrorism, causing alienation and frustration among ethnic and religious minorities. Moreover, ethnic minorities are victims of racist violence and crimes of various forms; their complaints are often ignored or not taken seriously by the relevant authorities. Another concern is underreporting by victims of racist violence due to lack of trust in the police and fears linked to migrant status and/or further victimisation, In the context of the media, some of the key problems continue to be inaccurate reporting, negative and/or lack of representation of ethnic minorities, the use of an ‘us versus them’ rhetoric, as well as the promotion of racism on the internet, especially through social media. People of African descent face discrimination, stereotypes and prejudice in employment, housing, healthcare, education, access to goods and services, criminal justice, and the media. Their visibility heightens their vulnerability to discrimination. Whilst most manifestations of discrimination are not particularly targeted at people of African descent, they do tend to be disproportionately affected by these manifestations. Moreover, in a context of rampant prejudice, visibility and perception of ethnic minority status appear to outplay other considerations including nationality and status. Finally, the report provides an overview of some of the key legal and political developments in the fields of anti-racism and anti-discrimination as well as migration and integration. Details: Brussels: European Network Against Racism (ENAR), 2012. 44p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 21, 2012 at http://cms.horus.be/files/99935/MediaArchive/publications/shadow%20report%202010-11/shadowReport_EN_final%20LR.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Europe URL: http://cms.horus.be/files/99935/MediaArchive/publications/shadow%20report%202010-11/shadowReport_EN_final%20LR.pdf Shelf Number: 124636 Keywords: Criminal JusticeEducationEmploymentHealth CareHousingRacial Discrimination (Europe)Racism (Europe) |
Author: Ward, Tony Title: Long-Term Health Costs of Extended Mandatory Detention of Asylum Seekers Summary: This report urges Australians to consider the long-term consequences of asylum policies. Current approaches do not take into consideration many hidden costs associated with mandatory detention of asylum seekers. The report highlights that in addition to the high costs of maintaining detention facilities, there are significant additional costs as a result of prolonged detention for the long-term healthcare of former asylum seekers once they are released into the community. The national tax summit, held on 4 and 5 October 2011, received many submissions stressing the importance of careful long-term costings of policies. In a similar vein, this report estimates the Long-term health costs of extended mandatory detention of asylum seekers. For the first time in Australia, it does so by applying innovative costing approaches developed in the Netherlands. It is now well established that lengthy periods in detention cause significant mental health problems for asylum seekers. The Howard Government recognised this in 2005, when it agreed that 25 of the 27 detainees then remaining on Nauru should be brought to Australia. This was after doctors had diagnosed serious mental health conditions. More generally, a study of detained asylum seekers in Australia found that more than one third of those detained for more than two years had new mental health problems in 2006-07. This was ten times the rate of mental health problems for those detained for less than 3 months. There is good evidence This report urges Australians to consider the long-term consequences of asylum policies. Current approaches do not take into consideration many hidden costs associated with mandatory detention of asylum seekers. The report highlights that in addition to the high costs of maintaining detention facilities, there are significant additional costs as a result of prolonged detention for the long-term healthcare of former asylum seekers once they are released into the community. The national tax summit, held on 4 and 5 October 2011, received many submissions stressing the importance of careful long-term costings of policies. In a similar vein, this report estimates the Long-term health costs of extended mandatory detention of asylum seekers. For the first time in Australia, it does so by applying innovative costing approaches developed in the Netherlands. It is now well established that lengthy periods in detention cause significant mental health problems for asylum seekers. The Howard Government recognised this in 2005, when it agreed that 25 of the 27 detainees then remaining on Nauru should be brought to Australia. This was after doctors had diagnosed serious mental health conditions. More generally, a study of detained asylum seekers in Australia found that more than one third of those detained for more than two years had new mental health problems in 2006-07. This was ten times the rate of mental health problems for those detained for less than 3 months. There is good evidence This report urges Australians to consider the long-term consequences of asylum policies. Current approaches do not take into consideration many hidden costs associated with mandatory detention of asylum seekers. The report highlights that in addition to the high costs of maintaining detention facilities, there are significant additional costs as a result of prolonged detention for the long-term healthcare of former asylum seekers once they are released into the community. The national tax summit, held on 4 and 5 October 2011, received many submissions stressing the importance of careful long-term costings of policies. In a similar vein, this report estimates the Long-term health costs of extended mandatory detention of asylum seekers. For the first time in Australia, it does so by applying innovative costing approaches developed in the Netherlands. It is now well established that lengthy periods in detention cause significant mental health problems for asylum seekers. The Howard Government recognised this in 2005, when it agreed that 25 of the 27 detainees then remaining on Nauru should be brought to Australia. This was after doctors had diagnosed serious mental health conditions. More generally, a study of detained asylum seekers in Australia found that more than one third of those detained for more than two years had new mental health problems in 2006-07. This was ten times the rate of mental health problems for those detained for less than 3 months. There is good evidence that such trauma causes long-term mental health problems. This report estimates the lifetime health costs of such trauma. On conservative estimates – that trauma sufferers will have lifetime mental health costs 50% more than the average – the report shows this will cost an additional $25,000 per person. In recent years, more than 80% of detained asylum seekers have eventually been successful in settling in Australia. This means that such extra health costs have to be met by the Australian health system, and Australian taxpayers have to pick up the tab. The Australian immigration system already has extensive health checks for migrants seeking to come to this country. One of the key reasons is to protect public expenditure on health and community services. It is strange that another current element in current immigration policy – mandatory detention of asylum seekers – has the direct effect of increasing public expenditure on health and community services. Details: Melbourne: Yarra Institute for Religion and Social Policy, 2011. 27p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 9, 2012 at: http://www.yarrainstitute.org.au/Portals/0/docs/Ward.long-term%20costs%20v12Oct.2011.pdf Year: 2011 Country: Australia URL: http://www.yarrainstitute.org.au/Portals/0/docs/Ward.long-term%20costs%20v12Oct.2011.pdf Shelf Number: 125222 Keywords: Asylum (Australia)Detention PracticesHealth CareImmigrantsMental Health |
Author: Byng, Richard Title: COCOA: Care for Offenders, Continuity of Access. Summary: The project aims to inform policy on improving health and reducing recidivism for offenders by examining access to, and continuity of, healthcare for people in contact with criminal justice agencies. Focus: The project has investigated the impact of health and criminal justice agencies on access and continuity of care. We carried out a multi-method investigation into the continuity of healthcare for offenders; interviewed 200 offenders; carried out 8 organisational case studies; developed a peer offender research group; and developed theory related to offender continuity of care. Key findings: Access and continuity of care for mental health problems was very low in comparison with care for substance misuse. Bothe the organisation of services and also offenders' beliefs and priorities contribute to poor engagement with initial and on-going mental health care. However, models of good practice can be found in isolated pockets across the UK. It is recomended that services for mental health care are best positioned in probation and as individuals leave prison in order to maximise chances of sustained engagement. The study population (prisoners and probationers), were predominantly male, white, skewed to 18-25 age range. Many had partners and children. 23% were employed and 20% homeless. Twenty seven percent had been in prison more than five times. Within the previous six months 37% rated their current health as poor. Fifty three percent reported drug misuse, 36% alcohol misuse, 15% severe and 59% moderate mental health problems. Only 4% believed they had no physical problems. Co-morbidity was typical. The majority of offenders were happy for health services to know about their CJS contact (79%), were willing to share medical information between services (82%), and preferred one person to have an overview of all their healthcare needs (81%). There were significantly more healthcare contacts in probation than in other CJS settings; predominantly for heroin, dependence forming 40% of all health contacts. However for physical problems, healthcare contact rates were significantly higher for prison when compared to other CJS settings. Overall contact rates for mental health problems were low, particularly for those without heroin misuse. Treatment recommended by health services for current health issues across the whole sample was received for the majority of dependency related (74%) and physical health (71%) problems, but for only 50% of the mental health problems reported. Participants in prison rated the quality of their healthcare contacts as significantly lower than in other contexts. Quality was rated higher for drug and mental health services. Participant reports and healthcare records of healthcare contacts were similar. Generally, participants recall was better for substance misuse services than others. Details: London: NIHR (National Institute for Health Research), 2012. 265p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 19, 2012 at: https://wombat.pcmd.ac.uk/document_manager/documents/files/primary_care/cocoa/COCOA_FINAL_REPORT.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://wombat.pcmd.ac.uk/document_manager/documents/files/primary_care/cocoa/COCOA_FINAL_REPORT.pdf Shelf Number: 125682 Keywords: Health CareMental Health ServicesPrisoners (U.K.)PrisonsProbationersRecidivism |
Author: National Association of Counties Title: County Jails and the Affordable Care Act: Enrolling Eligible Individuals in Health Coverage Summary: In 2014 the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) will provide new health insurance coverage options for millions of individuals through an expansion of Medicaid eligibility and the establishment of state-based health insurance exchanges. This brief will examine ways that counties may be involved in eligibility determination and enrollment processes for these newly eligible individuals, focusing particularly on issues related to enrolling qualified individuals held in county jails as pre-adjudicated detainees and inmates preparing to reenter the community. Specifically the brief will assess some of the potential issues and challenges county jail and human services staff may face in terms of enrollment procedures. The brief will also highlight examples of existing county-based enrollment strategies that may be able to serve as models for developing processes to enroll individuals in county jails who become newly eligible for health insurance coverage in 2014. Details: Washington, DC: National Association of Counties, 2012. 9p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 20, 2012 at: http://www.naco.org/programs/csd/Documents/Health%20Reform%20Implementation/County-Jails-HealthCare_WebVersion.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://www.naco.org/programs/csd/Documents/Health%20Reform%20Implementation/County-Jails-HealthCare_WebVersion.pdf Shelf Number: 125706 Keywords: County Jails (U.S.)Health Care |
Author: Royal College of Psychiatrists Title: Prison Transfers: A Survey from the Royal College of Psychiatrists Summary: In his review of people with mental health problems and intellectual disabilities in the criminal justice system, Lord Bradley highlighted unacceptable delays in transferring acutely unwell prisoners to hospital. He recommended the government develop a new minimum target for the National Health Service (NHS) of 14 days to transfer a prisoner with acute, severe mental illness to an appropriate healthcare setting. The Department of Health is currently working to identify some of the key barriers that have an impact on timely transfers. The Royal College of Psychiatrists consulted with its members who work within prisons and secure healthcare settings across England and Wales. The purpose of this consultation was to explore the issues around prison transfers (Section 47 and Section 48 of the Mental Health Act 1983) with the view to: 1 gauging whether a national 14-day transfer target was considered reasonable 2 identifying key barriers and possible solutions to timely prison transfers. This consultation concentrated on a number of key areas within the prison transfer process including assessments, information-sharing, bed management, remittance and commissioning. Although a clear majority of psychiatrists agree that 14 days is a reasonable target to transfer a prisoner with acute, severe mental illness to an appropriate healthcare setting to secure treatment as quickly as possible, there were some reservations about how this could practically be achieved. Many of the problems identified as contributing to the delays in the prison transfer process appear to be administrative, such as information-sharing, poor communication, etc. However, these administrative problems can lead to significant cumulative inefficiencies within the system, which can be costly and result in delays. The consultation was designed to elicit problems and barriers associated with the prison transfer process and did not explore why psychiatrists thought the target was reasonable, or why they did not think provider assessments were always necessary. So although the majority considered the target reasonable, their reasons were not given. This is an area of great concern for many psychiatrists who participated in this consultation. Therefore, a follow-up questionnaire explored these issues with some participants and their responses are included here. The College would like to build on this work and explore further some of the issues raised as a result of this consultation. Details: London: Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2011. 58p. Source: Internet Resource: Occasional Paper OP81: Accessed September 27, 2012 at: http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/pdf/PRISON%20TRANSFERS%20OP81.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/pdf/PRISON%20TRANSFERS%20OP81.pdf Shelf Number: 126483 Keywords: Health CareMental Health ServicesMentally Ill OffendersPrisoners (U.K.) |
Author: Osher, Fred Title: Adults with Behavioral Health Needs under Correctional Supervision: A Shared Framework for Reducing Recidivism and Promoting Recovery Summary: The large numbers of adults with behavioral health disorders (mental illnesses, substance use disorders, or both) who are arrested and convicted of criminal offenses pose a special challenge for correctional and health administrators responsible for their confinement, rehabilitation, treatment, and supervision. As corrections populations have grown, the requirements for correctional facilities to provide health care to these inmates has stretched the limits of their budgets and available program personnel. They often lack the resources to provide the kinds of services many of these individuals need for recovery and to avoid reincarceration. Addressing the needs of individuals on probation or returning from prisons and jails to the community also raises difficult issues for the behavioral health administrators and service providers who have come to be relied on for treatment. Individuals with behavioral health issues who have criminal histories often have complex problems, some of which are difficult to address in traditional treatment settings. The reality is, however, that public healthcare professionals are already struggling to serve them. A significant number of individuals who receive services through the publicly funded mental health and substance abuse systems are involved in the criminal justice system. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the criminal justice system is the single largest source of referral to the public substance abuse treatment system, with probation and parole treatment admissions representing the highest proportion of these referrals.1 Overlapping populations similarly exist for corrections administrators and mental healthcare providers.2 With state and local agencies enduring dramatic budget cuts, resources are already scarce for serving and supervising individuals with substance abuse and mental health needs who are, or have been, involved in the criminal justice system. The question that many policymakers and practitioners are asking is whether those resources are being put to the best use in advancing public safety and health, as well as personal recovery. They are examining whether allocations of behavioral health resources are increasing diversion from the criminal justice system when appropriate and reducing ongoing criminal justice involvement for individuals under correctional control and supervision.3 The answer, frankly, is we do not think that the scale of the investments in these efforts has come close to addressing the extent of the problem or that resources are always properly focused. The dedication of resources made behind the bars and in the community does not appear to stop the individuals with substance abuse and mental health disorders from cycling through the criminal justice system—in many cases, they are simply insufficient to effect a systemwide change or do not focus narrowly enough on the people who would most benefit from the interventions. These investments in treatment and supervision have traditionally not been coordinated and sometimes even work at cross-purposes. Just as the substance abuse and mental health systems used to operate in silos—but now frequently come together to provide integrated co-occurring treatment options—a similar challenge is now before the corrections and behavioral health systems. The vast majority of inmates eventually return to their home communities from prisons and jails (650,000 or more individuals each year from state prisons alone,4 and more than 9 million individuals from jail).5 This influx of returning inmates has sparked an urgent need for corrections and behavioral healthcare administrators to reconsider the best means to facilitate reentry and service delivery to the many individuals with substance abuse and mental health problems. Despite the overlap in the populations they serve, little consensus exists among behavioral healthcare and community corrections administrators and providers on who should be prioritized for treatment, what services they should receive, and how those interventions should be coordinated with supervision. Too often, corrections administrators hear that “those aren’t my people” from behavioral healthcare administrators and providers. And just as often, the behavioral health community feels they are asked to assume a public safety role that is not in synch with their primary mission. Misunderstandings about each system’s capacity, abilities, and roles, as well as what types of referrals are appropriate, have contributed to the problem. This white paper presents a shared framework for reducing recidivism and behavioral health problems among individuals under correctional control or supervision—that is, for individuals in correctional facilities or who are on probation or parole. The paper is written for policymakers, administrators, and practitioners committed to making the most effective use of scarce resources to improve outcomes for individuals with behavioral health problems who are involved in the corrections system. It is meant to provide a common structure for corrections and treatment system professionals to begin building truly collaborative responses to their overlapping service population. These responses include both behind-the-bars and community-based interventions. This framework is designed to achieve each system’s goals and ultimately to help millions of individuals rebuild their lives while on probation or after leaving prison or jail. Details: New York: Council of State Governments, Justice Center, 2012. 82p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 29, 2012 at: http://consensusproject.org/jc_publications/adults-with-behavioral-health-needs Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://consensusproject.org/jc_publications/adults-with-behavioral-health-needs Shelf Number: 126500 Keywords: Health CareMental Health ServicesMentally Ill InmatesPrisoners (U.S.)RecidivismRehabilitationTreatment Programs |
Author: John Howard Association of Illinois Title: Unasked Questions, Unintended Consequences: Fifteen Findings and Recommendations on Illinois’ Prison Healthcare System Summary: This special report is based on JHA’s analysis of healthcare in 12 diverse correctional facilities, which together embody the state of healthcare in the Illinois prison system. Our findings include the following: •There is insufficient external oversight of prison healthcare services, especially services provided by the private vendor, Wexford Health Sources, who in 2011 negotiated a 10-year contract to provide healthcare services to all 27 IDOC facilities at the cost of $1.36 billion to the state. •JHA found deficient staffing levels that can lead to staff burn out and prevent inmates from timely accessing medical care. •JHA found that while elderly inmates represent the fasting growing segment of prisoners, it is unclear how Illinois will pay for the housing, treatment, and medical care of this population. •The Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) is in the process of implementing opt-out HIV testing at reception and classification centers and is piloting an electronic medical records program that promises to enhance data-sharing between facilities and improve quality of care. Details: Chicago: John Howard Association of Illinois, 2012. 28p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 2, 2012 at: http://thejha.org/sites/default/files/Unasked%20Questions-Unintended%20Consequences.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://thejha.org/sites/default/files/Unasked%20Questions-Unintended%20Consequences.pdf Shelf Number: 126816 Keywords: Health CareMedical CarePrisons (Illinois)Privatization |
Author: Gastaldo, Denise Title: Entangled in a Web of Exploitation and Solidarity: Latin American Undocumented Workers in the Greater Toronto Area Summary: This e-book describes key findings of a three-year research project on the health consequences of undocumented work in the largest urban area in Canada – the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). This report has been written to reach a general audience and includes several features of workers’ trajectories because most aspects of people’s health are socially constructed through everyday life. In doing so, we hope to contribute to a social dialogue informed by research findings, that moves beyond moral arguments regarding “deserving and undeserving migrants” which frequently characterize discussions on migration issues. We propose that the experiences of undocumented workers in Canada are embedded in a complex web or matrix of simultaneously oppressive and supportive structures that transcend the sphere of home, work, and community. Several international and national players are intertwined in this web which ultimately functions to create a flexible and cheap workforce for Canadian businesses and constrains workers’ physical, economic and personal mobility once in Canada, with severe consequences for their health and well-being. We explore this central concept through four interrelated chapters and conclude with key messages to stimulate dialogue among a range of stakeholders. In Chapter 1, we explore the reasons why people migrate to Canada, the conditions that make such journeys possible, and the material and subjective reasons for why they stay, despite having limited legal and social protections. We also illustrate the complex pathways in which people fall out of status, and examine the manner in which undocumented migration, as a global phenomenon, is simultaneously created and maintained by global and national level policies, macro-economic and labour market trends and personal level interests that are deeply entrenched in dominant structures of power. In Chapter 2, we untangle the ways in which undocumented migrants report going about their lives in Canada and link their everyday life circumstances to their precarious employment relations and working conditions. We advance the notion of the existence of a web of solidarity and exploitation to characterize the daily life of workers and the challenges they face as they try to resettle and obtain work in a new land. In Chapter 3, we discuss the “tactics” they employ for coping and resisting exploitative conditions, and for functional aspects of their lives such as keeping a job and staying busy. We explore the role of workers’ individual agency and the much related role of hope and spirituality in the coping process. Finally, in chapter 4, we discuss some of the impacts of lack of status of citizenship. We examine the impact of fear on mental health and the production of institutional and interpersonal forms of social exclusion that exacerbate poor health among this population. We also explore the linkages between the types of jobs held by these workers and their health needs, including emergency care and long term health. We explore workers’ experiences of (in) access and to health and social services and critique the role of citizenship in the provision of rights and entitlements. Details: Toronto: University of Toronto, 2012. 160p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 23, 2012 at: http://www.migrationhealth.ca/sites/default/files/Entangled_in_a_web_of_exploitation_and_solidarity_LQ.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Canada URL: http://www.migrationhealth.ca/sites/default/files/Entangled_in_a_web_of_exploitation_and_solidarity_LQ.pdf Shelf Number: 126982 Keywords: Health CareIllegal AliensIllegal ImmigrantsImmigrant ExploitationUndocumented Workers (Toronto, Canada) |
Author: Russell, Susan L. Title: Summary of a Review of Prison Healthcare in Northern Ireland Summary: In April 2008, responsibility for the commissioning and delivery of healthcare services in prisons passed over to the DHSSPS, through the Health and Social Care Commissioning Board (HSCB) and the South East Health and Social Care Trust (SE Trust). This is a summary of a review of prison healthcare in Northern Ireland carried out by Susan Russell in March 2011. It reflects the situation at that time, three years after the transfer of healthcare commissioning and provision to the Health and Social Care Board and the South East Health and Social Care Trust. Prisons need to provide a range of health services, based on community primary care services, similar to that found in local GP surgeries, with additional services that would be available in larger GP practices or health centres in the community, such as community dentistry, pharmacy and optical services. Due to the need to provide a secure environment, many enhanced primary care services also include clinics that in the community would normally be referred by GPs to secondary care services. They may include dermatology, x-ray services, genito-urinal medicine, general medicine, forensic psychiatry and physiotherapy, depending on the health needs of the population. Hydebank Wood prison and young offender centre (for women and young adults) and Maghaberry prison are expected to provide for a population that includes new committals, recalls to prison, fine defaulters, those on remand and sentenced prisoners. Magilligan prison holds sentenced and recalled prisoners. They usually have more stable health needs, but still have significant needs that can be resource intensive and need to be planned for. They should however have been identified before or on transfer and new or existing treatment plans implemented in a planned way. Each of these establishments needs to provide healthcare that meets the needs of its specific population and the groups within it: adult men, young adults and women, as well as those who have a disability and those who are foreign nationals or from black and minority ethnic communities. This will require both an accurate assessment of actual need, and an agreed improvement plan to ensure this is met. The primary care and GP services need to be provided in partnership with the prison in order to minimise any regime limitations that may impact on service delivery. There should be a range of nurse-led clinics to support health promotion and GP services, and regular audits to evidence the level and activity of the services provided. Access to secondary and specialist services should be available when clinically indicated in all establishments, and links to and from community services are essential to ensure continuity of care. The overall finding of the review was that, while there had been some progress, and more was planned, the services provided were basic, and still reminiscent of prison health delivery before the transfer of responsibility for health services. In summary, the reviewer found that both the primary care and mental health pathways were not developed, that medical and nursing staff were not used effectively, and that services were not sufficiently geared to assessed need. Reviews and inspections have chronicled some of these deficiencies, most recently at Hydebank Wood, and show that there is considerable unmet need, in terms of both mental and physical health. In developing services, it may be useful to draw upon the work done in England and Wales by the Kings Fund in the Enhancing the Healing Environment (EHE) programme in prisons. Currently, 40 prisons have participated in the programme, which has covered all populations and ages. Details: Belfast: Prison Review Team, 2011. 38p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 30, 2013 at: http://www.prisonreviewni.gov.uk/summary_of_a_review_of_prison_healthcare_in_northern_ireland_-_carried_out_by_s_l_russell__march_2011.pdf Year: 2011 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.prisonreviewni.gov.uk/summary_of_a_review_of_prison_healthcare_in_northern_ireland_-_carried_out_by_s_l_russell__march_2011.pdf Shelf Number: 127451 Keywords: Health CareInmatesPrisons (Northern Ireland) |
Author: Riskiyani, Shanti Title: Barriers to Health and Other Services for Ex-Prisoners Summary: The National Survey of Drug Abuse Development reported that the police had caught 1 of 5 abusers; even 1 of 2 injection addicts had dealt with police. Furthermore, there was 1 of 7 respondents in the survey admitted that had been in prison, especially the injection addicts group. One of the strongest lessons from the end of the last century is that public health can no longer afford to ignore the prisoner health. The rise and rapid spread of HIV infection and AIDS, the resurgence of other serious communicable diseases such as tuberculosis and hepatitis and the increasing recognition that prisons are inappropriate receptacles for people with dependence and mental health problems have thrust prison health high on the public health agenda (WHO, 2007). Substance use disorders among inmates are at epidemic proportions. Almost twothirds (64.5 percent) of the inmate population in the U.S. (1.5 million) met medical criteria for an alcohol or other drug use disorder. Prison and jail inmates are seven times likelier than are individuals in the general population to have a substance use disorder (Califano et.al, 2010). This activity was carried out as an advocacy tool, as an important part of the strategy in implementing Harm Reduction Network in raising the issue of drug user’s especially former prisoners. Particulary to explore the information about health services accessed by former prisoners narcotics, to explore the availabality of health services for the former prisoners and exploring accessed of former prisoners to the health services. By taking samples in seven provincial cities, the recording process is done by an objective and conducted by the research team. We’re collecting data using a qualitative method, data collection through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. The instrument used in this study had previously been tested in two provinces, Medan –a city as the representation of western region- and Bali, for the eastern region. The results of this trial had then been discussed in a meeting attended by FHI staff, NGO staff of Charisma, Ministry of Health officials, Directorate General of Corrections and UNODC, to get feedback on improving the instrument. The results of this meeting was followed by a Data Collecting Team workshop and delivered new instrument that was then used in the farther data collection. Our workshops were conducted to similize perceptions of the reseracher members in the process of data collection in the field. Details: Indonesian Harm Reduction Federal; United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2012. 97p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 31, 2013 at: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/64663568/library/Final-Rep-UNODC-Eng.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Asia URL: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/64663568/library/Final-Rep-UNODC-Eng.pdf Shelf Number: 127459 Keywords: Drug AddictionDrug TreatmentEx-OffendersEx-PrisonersHealth CareMental Health Services |
Author: Koziol-McLain, Jane Title: Hospital Responsiveness to Family Violence: 96 Month Follow-Up Evaluation Summary: The Ministry of Health (MOH) Violence Intervention Programme (VIP) seeks to reduce and prevent the health impacts of violence and abuse through early identification, assessment and referral of victims presenting to designated District Health Board (DHB) services. The Ministry of Health-funded national resources support a comprehensive, systems approach to addressing family violence. This evaluation summary documents the result of measuring system indicators at 27 hospitals (20 DHBs), providing Government, MOH and DHBs with information on family violence intervention programme implementation. Based on previous audit scores and programme maturity, 10 DHBs transitioned to self audit only for the 96 month follow-up audit, all other data is based on external audit scores for 2011/2012. Details: Wellington, NZ: New Zealand Ministry of Health, 2013. 66p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 22, 2013 at: http://www.health.govt.nz/publication/hospital-responsiveness-family-violence-96-month-follow-evaluation Year: 2013 Country: New Zealand URL: http://www.health.govt.nz/publication/hospital-responsiveness-family-violence-96-month-follow-evaluation Shelf Number: 128076 Keywords: Child Abuse and NeglectFamily Violence (New Zealand)Health CareHospitalsIntimate Partner AbuseVictims of Violence |
Author: Noonan, Margaret E. Title: Mortality in Local Jails and State Prisons, 2000-2010 - Statistical Tables Summary: During 2010, 4,150 inmates died while in the custody of local jails and state prisons—a 5% decline from 2009. Local jails accounted for about a quarter of all inmate deaths, with 918 inmates who died in custody in 2010. The number of jail inmate deaths declined from 2009 to 2010 (down 3%), while the mortality rate remained relatively stable, from 128 deaths per 100,000 jail inmates in 2009 to 125 per 100,000 in 2010. The five leading causes of jail inmate deaths were suicide, heart disease, drug or alcohol intoxication, cancer, and liver disease. Most inmates who died in custody were serving time in state prisons (78%). In 2010, 3,232 state prison inmates died in custody—a 5% decline from 2009. The mortality rate in state prisons declined slightly, from 257 deaths per 100,000 prison inmates in 2009 to 245 per 100,000 in 2010. In 2010, the five leading causes of state prison inmate deaths were cancer, heart disease, liver disease, respiratory disease, and suicide. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2012. 28p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 3, 2013 at: http://bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/mljsp0010st.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United States URL: http://bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/mljsp0010st.pdf Shelf Number: 128199 Keywords: Deaths in CustodyHealth CareInmatesJailsPrisoner HomicidesPrisoner Suicides |
Author: McCullough, Alison N. Title: An Evaluation of the Pre-Release Planning Program of the Georgia Department of Corrections and a Qualitative Assessment of Reentry Experiences of Program Participants Summary: Higher rates of HIV are seen within correctional systems across the United States. Georgia has one of the largest correctional populations in the country and HIV rates among prisoners are elevated when compared to the state as a whole. In 2008. 2.1% of state prisoners in Georgia were living with HIV. A focal point for the public health system is the moment of release and reentry into the community. Prison systems are responsible for the healthcare of persons in their custody and the public health system typically has limited access to this population until release. Federal programs like Ryan White seek to address the needs of underserved populations with limited access to HIV care. The Ryan White system has facilitated access to Georgia prisoners prior to release by funding the Pre-Release Planning Program, which provides case management and linkage to medical care for persons living with HIV in Georgia state prisons. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the Pre-Release Planning Program of the Georgia Department of Corrections and to identify reentry needs unique to persons living with HIV. An assessment of the program was conducted to determine strengths, weaknesses and areas for improvement. This assessment was informed by the post-release experiences of program participants who described their own reentry journeys through semi-structured qualitative interviews. Methods: For the purpose of this study secondary analysis was conducted on qualitative interviews. A convenience sample consisting of 45 Pre-Release Planning Program participants was recruited to complete a semi-structured qualitative interview following their release in 2009-2010. All 45 persons recruited consented to be contacted for an interview three to 12 months after release. A research interviewer successfully located 25 members of the original sample and they all agreed to participate. They completed an informed consent and were compensated with a cash incentive for their time. The interviews covered a broad range of topics related to: general reentry challenges, HIV, health, risk behaviors, and feelings about the Pre-Release Planning Program. In addition a structure and process evaluation of the Pre-release Planning Program was conducted within the framework of a quality improvement perspective. A stakeholder analysis identified persons and organizations best equipped to promote quality improvement efforts for this program. Recommendations for improvement were developed from the program evaluation and qualitative analysis of participants‟ reentry experiences. Results: Areas for improvement were identified for the Pre-Release Planning Program in both structure and process. The program is understaffed and incapable of reaching every person living with HIV in the Georgia Department of Corrections, more concrete linkages to community resources are sorely needed, and data collection and management activities are deficient. For former program participants three central needs were identified: housing, health (HIV, chronic conditions, and mental) and income (employment or benefits). Stigma (HIV and felony status) and risk behaviors (sexual and substance misuse) negatively impacted stability of housing, health and income. Overall the Pre-Release Planning Program was incapable of addressing most post-release barriers to HIV care and successful reentry. Strengths of the program included linkage to a Ryan White Clinic, provision of prison medical records, referrals to general social service agencies and its acceptability among interviewed participants. Participants reported appreciating the services available pre-release and were able to reflect on specific examples of how they were helpful. Conclusions: Qualitative analysis indicated that participants appreciated the Pre-Release Planning Program and deeply desired to address their health needs post-release. However, their reentry narratives illustrated a need for far more comprehensive pre-release and post-release services to ensure continuity of HIV care and successful reintegration into their home community. The structural and individual challenges faced by persons living with HIV leaving the prison system demand comprehensive integrated services to assure access to HIV care and avoid recidivism. Minimally, housing, health and income must be addressed to ensure successful reentry. To holistically attend to the needs of this population multiple forms of stigma and risk factors in the community must be mediated by working with the individual and promoting systemic changes. Social determinants of health affecting reentry experiences in Georgia must be addressed through policy changes which have the capacity to reach farther than a single Pre-Release Planning program nestled in the Department of Corrections. Details: Atlanta: Georgia State University, 2011. 55p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed May 30, 2013 at: http://digitalarchive.gsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1197&context=iph_theses Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://digitalarchive.gsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1197&context=iph_theses Shelf Number: 128856 Keywords: Health CareHIV (Viruses)Prisoner ReentryPrisoners (Georgia, U.S.)Prisons |
Author: Capps, Randy Title: A Demographic, Socioeconomic, and Health Coverage Profile of Unauthorized Immigrants in the United States Summary: This issue brief provides all kinds of useful and interesting data about unauthorized immigrants currently living in the U.S. The final section of the brief lays out some of the policy implications of the data they have compiled, both in terms of immigration reform and implementation of the Affordable Care Act. For example, under the immigration reform bill that is currently under consideration in the Senate, unauthorized immigrants who are granted registered provisional status (which would permit them to reside and work here legally) would be ineligible for Medicaid or most other federal benefits. MPI’s data suggests that 71% of unauthorized immigrants (47% of children) are uninsured, and the vast majority of them have incomes that fall below the federal poverty level. So it appear that many RPI status holders would struggle to obtain medical insurance under the Senate bill. Details: Washington, DC: Migration Policy Institute, 2013. 19p. Source: Internet Resource: Issue Brief No. 5: Accessed June 3, 2013 at: http://www.migrationpolicy.org/pubs/CIRbrief-Profile-Unauthorized.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://www.migrationpolicy.org/pubs/CIRbrief-Profile-Unauthorized.pdf Shelf Number: 128924 Keywords: Health CareIllegal Immigrants (U.S.)Immigration |
Author: Elvins, Martin Title: Provision of Healthcare and Forensic Medical Services in Tayside Police Custody Settings: An evaluation of a partnership agreement between NHS Tayside and Tayside Police (2009-2011) Summary: In January 2009 a three-year partnership agreement between Tayside Police and NHS Tayside came into effect, providing for the delivery of the following services by NHS-contracted staff: • Forensic medical services serving police requirements • Nurse-led healthcare for detained persons (welfare or therapeutic) The partnership agreement instituted some notable, substantive innovations in the delivery of medical services in Tayside Police custody settings. The most significant of these was the decision to establish a dedicated team of NHS nurses employed to operate solely within secure police custody areas (generally termed custody suites) on a round-the-clock basis, working from medically equipped rooms. A defining characteristic of the ‘pilot’ service brought in under the agreement was that it was nurse, rather than a medical or police-led service. In the period immediately prior to the ‘pilot’ partnership agreement the requirement for healthcare services by Tayside Police was serviced through a contractual arrangement with a private healthcare provider. In 2008 Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary for Scotland (HMICS) found that Scottish police forces reported an 85-15 per cent split respectively between welfare (therapeutic) and forensic examinations carried out in connection with their day-to-day operations; the former occurring in custody suites. Around 12,500-13,000 detentions in Tayside Police custody suites occur annually. Research studies have established that detainees typically have proportionately higher health needs than the population as a whole, whilst having below average engagement with NHS services (for instance around 30 per cent of detainees are not thought to be registered with a General Practitioner). With an overall reconviction rate within two years of 42.4 per cent (2007-08 offender cohort) in Scotland it is clear that police custody affords a unique environment in which to deliver healthcare to a difficult to reach sector of the population. Such an approach also correlates with the objective of the 2007 Scottish Government Better Health, Better Care: Action Plan to address what it termed unscheduled care through ensuring that patients get the services they need in the places that they need them. The research study aimed to provide a basis to evaluate the impact of the new ways of working between NHS Tayside and Tayside Police brought in through the partnership agreement. The study was designed to test three key questions: 1. What has worked for Tayside Police and its staff and why has it worked? 2. What has worked for detainees and why has it worked? 3. What has worked for NHS Tayside and its staff and why has it worked? Unified by a realistic evaluation approach (focused on finding out ‘what works?’) the two-year study brought together researchers with specialist knowledge of both policing and healthcare (including mental health) and with methodological specialisms covering qualitative and quantitative research, as well as a specialist health economist. Primary data collection and data analysis took place in two phases, Phase 1 (2010) and Phase 2 (2011), and was undertaken through quantitative questionnaires, audit data and extensive interview-led qualitative study of the service from the perspective of healthcare and police professionals. A (more limited in scope) qualitative, interview-led study of the service from the perspective of persons detained in police custody was also undertaken. Details: Dundee: Scottish Institute for Policing Research, 2012. 68p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 3, 2013 at: http://www.sipr.ac.uk/downloads/Healthcare_Custody.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.sipr.ac.uk/downloads/Healthcare_Custody.pdf Shelf Number: 129240 Keywords: Health CareMedical Care, Inmates (U.K.)Police Services |
Author: U.S. Government Accountability Office Title: Bureau of Prisons: Timelier Reviews, Plan for Evaluations, and Updated Policies Could Improve Inmate Mental Health Services Oversight Summary: During a 5-year period--fiscal years 2008 through 2012--costs for inmate mental health services in institutions run by the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) rose in absolute dollar amount, as well as on an annual per capita basis. Specifically, mental health services costs rose from $123 million in fiscal year 2008 to $146 million in fiscal year 2012, with increases generally due to three factors--inmate population increases, general inflationary increases, and increased participation rates in psychology treatment programs such as drug abuse treatment programs. Additionally, the per capita cost rose from $741 in fiscal year 2008 to $821 in fiscal year 2012. It is projected that these costs will continue to increase with an estimated per capita cost of $876 in fiscal year 2015, due, in part, to increased program funding and inflation. BOP conducts various internal reviews that assess institutions' compliance with its policies related to mental health services, and it also requires institutions to obtain external accreditations. BOP's internal program reviews are on-site audits of a specific program, including two that are relevant to mental health services--psychology and health services. Most institutions in GAO's sample received good or superior ratings on their psychology and health services program reviews, but these reviews did not always occur within BOP-established time frames, generally due to lack of staff availability. When reviews were postponed, delays could be lengthy, sometimes exceeding a year, even for those institutions with the lowest ratings in previous reviews. Moreover, BOP has not evaluated whether most of its psychology treatment programs are meeting their established goals and has not developed a plan to do so. BOP is developing an approach for reporting on the relative reduction in recidivism associated with major inmate programs, which may include some psychology treatment programs. Using this opportunity to develop a plan for evaluating its psychology treatment programs would help ensure that the necessary evaluation activities, as well as any needed program changes, are completed in a timely manner. Further, BOP's program statements--its formal policies--related to mental health services contain outdated information. Policy changes are instead communicated to staff through memos. By periodically updating its program statements, BOP would be better assured that staff have a consistent understanding of its policies, and that these policies reflect current mental health care practices. BOP collects information on the daily cost to house the 13 percent of federal inmates in contract facilities, but it does not track the specific contractor costs of providing mental health services. The performance-based, fixed-price contracts that govern the operation of BOP's contract facilities give flexibility to the contractors to decide how to provide mental health services and do not require that they report their costs for doing so to BOP. BOP uses several methods to assess the contractors' compliance with contract requirements and standards of care. BOP conducts on-site reviews to assess the services provided to inmates in contract facilities, including those for mental health. BOP uses results from these reviews, as well as reports from external accrediting organizations, the presence of on-site monitors, and internal reviews conducted by the contract facility, to assess contractor compliance and to ensure that the contractor is consistently assessing the quality of its operations. Details: Washington, DC: GAO, 2013. 76p. Source: Internet Resource: GAO-13-1: Accessed July 18, 2013 at: http://www.gao.gov/assets/660/655903.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://www.gao.gov/assets/660/655903.pdf Shelf Number: 129437 Keywords: Costs of CorrectionsFederal Bureau of Prisons (U.S.)Health CareMental Health ServicesMentally Ill OffendersPrisoners |
Author: Coetzee, Jenny Title: Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare Services for Female Street- and - Hotel-Based Sgex Summary: Sex work is a crime in South Africa. With the prevalence and deleterious social and economic effects of HIV, in health literature sex work has often been understood in relation to the way that it intersects with the transmission of the epidemic. This positioning of sex work then inadvertently stigmatises sex workers who are often cast outside the rights-based discourses that characterise South Africa's post-apartheid democracy. In order to address this problem, this study explored the perceived barriers and facilitators to sex workers' accessing sexual and reproductive healthcare (SRHC), gaps in the current service offerings relating to sex worker's sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and the general experiences of SRHC amongst 11 female sex workers in Johannesburg, South Africa. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with these sex workers, who were based in Johannesburg City Deep. The resultant data were transcribed and subjected to a thematic analysis. The study shows that various structural and individual level barriers are perceived to prevent access to SRH. In particular, the analysis suggests that the disease-specific focus on sex worker-specific projects poses a barrier to sex workers' accessing a complete range of SRHC services. Violence enacted by healthcare professionals, police and clients fuelled a lack of trust in the healthcare sector and displaced the participants from their basic human rights. It is also worrying that religion posed a threat to effective SRHC because some religious discourses label sex workers as sinners who are perceived to be excluded from forgiveness and healing. Finally, motherhood proved to be a point at which the participants actively managed their health and engaged with and in broad-based SRHC. Participants frequently only sought SRHC at the point at which an ailment affected their livelihood and ability to provide for a family. Taken together, these findings seem to show a range of formidable challenges to sex workers' understanding of themselves in a human rights discourse. This study's findings are of particular importance to rethinking the legislation that criminalises sex work, as well as healthcare initiatives geared both towards sex workers and women in general. Details: Johannesburg: University of the Witwatersrand, 2012. 160p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed November 11, 2013 at: http://wiredspace.wits.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10539/13033/COETZEE%20DISSERTATION%20FEBRUARY%202013%20(9711129v)%20FINAL%20SUBMISSION%20WITH%20REVISIONS%20V1.pdf?sequence=1 Year: 2012 Country: South Africa URL: http://wiredspace.wits.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10539/13033/COETZEE%20DISSERTATION%20FEBRUARY%202013%20(9711129v)%20FINAL%20SUBMISSION%20WITH%20REVISIONS%20V1.pdf?sequence=1 Shelf Number: 131624 Keywords: Health CareProstitutesProstitutionSex Work (South Africa)Sex Workers |
Author: Lewis, Cath Title: Health Needs Assessment of Adult Offenders Across the Criminal Justice System on Merseyside Summary: Liverpool Public Health Observatory was commissioned by Merseyside Directors of Public Health to carry out a health needs assessment (HNA) of adult offender health across the criminal justice system on Merseyside. HNA is a systematic method for reviewing the health issues facing a population, leading to agreed priorities and resource allocation that will improve health and reduce inequalities. The HNA covers the 3 prisons on Merseyside: HMP Liverpool, Altcourse and Kennet, as well as offenders on probation and in police custody across Merseyside. Because the majority of female offenders from the Merseyside area who are sent to prison are sent to HMP Styal, Styal was also included. This HNA covers offenders aged 18 and upwards. A health and wellbeing needs assessment of young offenders aged 10-18 is due for completion in December 2012. As part of the health needs assessment, quantitative data on prevalence of mental and physical health problems, as well as a wide range of other measures, were collected from the 4 prisons, as well as from Merseyside Probation Service. In addition, fifty eight interviews were carried out with key stakeholders, including offenders and key health care staff. Background information Research has demonstrated that the health of offenders is in general significantly worse than that of the population as a whole, particularly in terms of mental health problems, addictions and blood borne virus. Health of female offenders is particular poor, as highlighted in the Bradley Report, and when women are sent to prison families are far more likely to break down. Other ways in which imprisonment exacerbates health problems include many offenders losing their accommodation and/or employment whilst in prison. Prisoners are more likely to be from minority ethnic groups than the general population, and the proportion of foreign national prisoners has also increased steadily over the past decade. Although less research has been done with offenders who are on probation, research shows that health needs of those on probation are similar to those of the prison population. Details: Liverpool: Liverpool Public Health Observatory, 2013. 62p. Source: Internet Resource: Observatory report series number 87: Accessed November, 2013 at: http://www.liv.ac.uk/PublicHealth/obs/publications/report/87_Health%20needs%20assessment%20of%20adult%20offenders_210612.pdf Year: 2012 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.liv.ac.uk/PublicHealth/obs/publications/report/87_Health%20needs%20assessment%20of%20adult%20offenders_210612.pdf Shelf Number: 131660 Keywords: Health CareHealth Services Prisoners (U.K.) |
Author: Rabinovich, Lila Title: Reducing Alcohol Harm: International Benchmark Summary: The National Audit Office (NAO) of the United Kingdom commissioned RAND Europe to examine the structure and effectiveness of healthcare interventions aimed at preventing and reducing alcohol harm in a selected number of countries. The countries selected were Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands and the United States. The objective of the research is to inform the work of the NAO in the area of the prevention and reduction of alcohol harm in healthcare interventions in England. Through this research, the NAO aims to understand the effectiveness of the interventions used in England and identify interesting and effective practices in other countries that could be transferable to the English context and inform the country's alcohol strategy. This report contains four main sections. In Chapter 2, this report sets out the main international statistics on alcohol harm, including comparative data on alcohol consumption, the prevalence of heavy and binge drinking, and data on alcohol-related mortality and morbidity. In Chapter 3, the study describes the main features of the healthcare systems and strategies of the selected countries. In Chapters 4 and 5, the report describes international evidence of the effectiveness of healthcare and non-healthcare interventions aimed at alcohol harm, respectively. In order to come to the conclusions in this report, we used a document review of the available information on the organization of the healthcare system and interventions aimed at alcohol harm in the selected countries; analysed the data on alcohol harm; and reviewed the international evidence on the effectiveness of interventions aimed at preventing alcohol harm. We also undertook telephone interviews and e-mail exchanges with a variety of experts in the area of alcohol harm in the selected countries. This report is likely to be of interest to other Supreme Audit Institutions (SAI), public health officials, and officials and academics involved in alcohol policy and strategy. Details: Cambridge, MA: RAND Europe, 2008. 94p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 17, 2014 at: http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/technical_reports/2008/RAND_TR592.pdf Year: 2008 Country: International URL: http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/technical_reports/2008/RAND_TR592.pdf Shelf Number: 131941 Keywords: Alcohol AbuseAlcohol Related Crime, DisorderAlcohol Treatment ProgramsDrunk and DisorderlyHealth CareInterventions |
Author: Gobeil, Renee Title: Older Incarcerated Women Offenders: Social Support and Health Needs Summary: Due to the increasing aging offender population, and the limited research on older women offenders, a recent profile of older federal women offenders was undertaken by the Research Branch. While that study provided a preliminary descriptive profile of the levels of risk and need of older women, it also identified several areas that would benefit from further investigation. As a follow-up to the initial profile report, the goal of current study was to collect information concerning the unique needs of older women offenders in the areas of social support and health. What we did Interviews were conducted with 30 federal women offenders over the age of 50. The interview focused on the women's perceptions and experiences with sources of social support both internal and external to the institutions. Additionally, women's concerns regarding their physical and mental health, as well as their experiences with health care services were also explored throughout the interview. What we found Women were asked about their sources of social support outside (family, friends, community groups) and inside (staff, other inmates, programs/activities) the correctional facilities. All the women reported having at least one source of support available to them outside of the facility. Overall, they ranked the support they received from these external sources higher compared to institutional sources of support within the facilities. Most older women offenders (96%) identified having two or more physical health problems at the time of the study. Three common physical health problems that primarily affect older women include menopause, cancer (breast, uterus, and cervix), and osteoporosis. Half the women reported that they had experienced a mental health condition, symptom, or diagnosis since admission. Overall, older women were mostly satisfied with physical health care and psychological services; however, they identified limited access to both physical and mental health staff as an area of improvement. What it means Areas of improvement identified by the women include separate housing for older and younger offenders, and increased access to alternative health care options. Increased knowledge of these and other specific need areas will assist the Women Offender Sector in effectively addressing current barriers and planning for upcoming decisions relating to the use of new infrastructure. Details: Ottawa: Correctional Service Canada, 2012. 83p. To obtain a PDF version of the full report, contact the following address: research@csc-scc.gc.ca Source: Internet Resource: 2012 No. R-275: Accessed March 28, 2014 at: http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/005/008/092/005008-0275-eng.pdf Year: 2012 Country: Canada URL: http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/005/008/092/005008-0275-eng.pdf Shelf Number: 132023 Keywords: Elderly InmatesFemale InmatesFemale OffendersHealth Care |
Author: Nobles, James Title: Health Services in State Correctional Facilities: Evaluation Report Summary: The Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) provides health services to inmates through a combination of its own employees and contracted services. Inmates have considerable access to health care, although several important access issues merit attention. DOC has not established a sufficiently coordinated, comprehensive approach for managing the care of individuals with chronic conditions. The prison system's residential unit for persons with serious mental illness has increasingly provided crisis and stabilization services rather than therapeutic treatment. DOC's compliance with professional standards is mixed, with room for improvement. DOC has not developed a comprehensive staffing plan for health services. Mechanisms for oversight, accountability, and quality improvement for DOC health services have been limited. DOC has not regularly obtained information that would help it ensure that the administrative costs and profits of its health services contractor are reasonable. DOC policy requires copayments in a more limited set of circumstances than indicated by Minnesota statutes. Details: St. Paul, MN: Program Evaluation Division, Office of the Legislative Auditor, State of Minnesota, 2014. 135p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 19, 2014 at: http://www.auditor.leg.state.mn.us/ped/pedrep/prisonhealth.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://www.auditor.leg.state.mn.us/ped/pedrep/prisonhealth.pdf Shelf Number: 132086 Keywords: Health CareInmatesPrisoners |
Author: Koziol-McLain, Jane Title: Hospital Responsiveness to Family Violence: 108 Month Follow-Up Evaluation Summary: This report documents the result of measuring system indicators at 20 DHBs, proving Government, Ministry of Health and DHBs with information on family violence intervention programme implementation. Based on programme maturity, 16 DHBs completed a self audit for the 108 month follow-up audit; the remaining 4 were independently audited. All data are based on the combined self audit and external audit scores for 2012/2013. Details: Auckland, NZ: Ministry of Health, 2013. 68p. Source: Internet Resource: ITRC Report No. 12: Accessed April 23, 2014 at: http://www.aut.ac.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/447285/WEB_108M-VIP-FU-REPORT-2013.pdf Year: 2013 Country: New Zealand URL: http://www.aut.ac.nz/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/447285/WEB_108M-VIP-FU-REPORT-2013.pdf Shelf Number: 132153 Keywords: Child Abuse and NeglectFamily Violence (New Zealand)Health CareHospitalsIntimate Partner AbuseVictims of Violence |
Author: London Assembly. Police and Crime Committee Title: Falling Short: The Met's Healthcare of Detainees in Custody Summary: Our investigation into healthcare in custody found that the Metropolitan Police are struggling to provide adequate medical staffing to assess and treat detainees in their custody suites. The Police and Crime Committee report Falling short: The Met's healthcare of detainees in custody , calls for swift action to tackle the more than 60 per cent shortfall in nurses providing medical assessments and care for people held in police custody. As of November 2013 the Met had 78 nurses working in custody suites against a planned total of 198. In the current financial year (2013-14) more nurses have left the service than have been recruited. As of November 2013, 23 nurses left the service while 15 were recruited. While the report welcomes plans to transfer commissioning of custody healthcare to the NHS by 2015, it makes a series of recommendations to address shortcomings in custody care in the short term including: - A new strategy for increasing the number of custody nurses and an independent review of the nature, content and appropriateness of their training - Establish a clear timetable for the transition of commissioning for custody healthcare to the NHS by 2015 - The Met and MOPAC should provide a plan showing how the new Detention Command will be developed, consulted on, implemented and overseen. - MOPAC should demonstrate a clear process for making best use of information provided by Independent Custody Volunteers, including publishing a quarterly report of problems identified during visits and action taken as a result. - The Met should establish a formal consultative group to respond to the immediate concerns raised by Forensic Medical Examiners, and consult with them about current nurse training practices and any future changes to custody arrangements. Details: London: London Assembly Police and Crime Committee, 2014. 24p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 24, 2014 at: http://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/14-01-27-Falling%20short%20the%20Met%27s%20healthcare%20of%20detainees%20in%20custody_Jan%202014.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/14-01-27-Falling%20short%20the%20Met%27s%20healthcare%20of%20detainees%20in%20custody_Jan%202014.pdf Shelf Number: 132157 Keywords: DetaineesHealth CareMedical Care |
Author: Mooney, Ann Title: The Health of Children and Young People in Secure Settings Summary: This small-scale descriptive study was commissioned by the Children and Young People's Public Health team within the Department of Health, in partnership with Offender Health, in order to inform preparation and implementation of an Offender Health Strategy document for children and young people. The overall aim was to review what is currently known about healthcare for children and young people in the secure estate, covering all three types of setting (Young Offender Institution, Secure Training Centre and Secure Children's Home) and all aspects of health, but with a particular focus on physical health since more is already known about mental health and substance misuse among young people in secure settings. The study took a multi-method approach involving a focused overview of relevant literature, interviews with key stakeholders, analysis of the most recent full inspection report (obtained for 42 of the 45 institutions holding young people under 18), and case studies of promising practice. It did not include primary research in secure settings, and a number of important caveats concerning the available data are discussed in the report. The strength of the report is that it brings together in one place information about healthcare for children and young people in the secure estate, and begins to identify key issues that need to be addressed. However, further research is needed to validate the conclusions of this study. Details: London: Thomas Coram Research Unit, Institute of Education, University of London, 2007. 54p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 28, 2014 at: http://eprints.ioe.ac.uk/53/1/Health_children_in_secure_settings.pdf Year: 2007 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://eprints.ioe.ac.uk/53/1/Health_children_in_secure_settings.pdf Shelf Number: 132188 Keywords: Child ProtectionHealth CareJuvenile Detention FacilitiesJuvenile OffendersTreatment Programs |
Author: Drummond, Anne Title: Study on the Prevalence of Drug Use, Including Intravenous Drug Use, and Blood-Borne Viruses among the Irish Prisoner Population Summary: Accurate up-to-date data on the extent of drug use and the prevalence of blood-borne viruses among the prisoner population are a necessary pre-requisite for health and social service planning and policy development. The most recent national study assessing the prevalence of blood-borne viruses, along with self-reported drug use within Irish prisons (Allwright et al., 1999), was carried out over a decade ago. This study was commissioned by the National Advisory Committee on Drugs (NACD) in 2010 with the following objectives: to describe the nature, extent and pattern of consumption for different drugs among the prisoner population; to describe methods of drug use, including intravenous drug use, among the prisoner population; to estimate the prevalence of blood-borne viruses among the prisoner population and to identify associated risk behaviours; and to measure the uptake of individual drug treatment and harm reduction interventions (including hepatitis B vaccination) in prison. Methods An observational cross-sectional study, targeting all prisons and prisoners in Ireland, was carried out in early 2011. Prisoners were selected at random in proportion to the population in each prison. A detailed, validated and piloted self-completion questionnaire was administered to prisoners under the supervision of the research team. Oral fluid samples were taken for assessment of drugs of abuse and blood-borne viruses. Overall 824 prisoners participated, with a final response rate of 49.5%. Results Results reveal lifetime, last year and last month prevalence rates for drug use that greatly exceed those of the general population but which are broadly consistent with findings from prison studies internationally. For example, lifetime cannabis use among all prisoners was 87%, last year use was 69% and last month use was 43%. Likewise, lifetime heroin use was 43%, last year use was 30% and last month use was 11%. Women were significantly more likely to use drugs, including injecting drugs. Despite there being a high prevalence (26%) of ever injecting drugs among prisoners, last month injecting prevalence was low (2%). Prevalence of HIV was 2%. Prevalence rates for hepatitis C (13%) and hepatitis B (0.3%) were lower than expected. By far the most important factors associated with blood-borne viruses in this prison population were ever having used drugs IV and ever having shared IV drug equipment. Older age and having had a tattoo done in prison were associated with hepatitis C. Female prisoners were at greater risk of having hepatitis C and HIV and male-to-male sexual contact was confirmed as a risk factor for HIV. The need for drug treatment and harm reduction services was identified in different prison categories, with a pattern of very high uptake of services when they are available. Summary This study confirms that drug use, including injecting drug use, is a significant problem among prisoners in Ireland and suggests that drug-related factors are important in the acquisition of blood-borne viruses. The findings also show that prisoners who need services, such as the range of addiction services and detoxification, are very willing to use them when they are available. 'In-prison' uptake of testing and vaccination services confirms that prisons are appropriate settings for the provision of preventive, diagnostic and treatment services for drug users. It is hoped that the evidence provided in this study will facilitate service and policy development in this important area. Details: Dublin: National Advisory Committee on Drugs and Alcohol, 2014. 126p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 3, 2014 at: http://www.nacd.ie/images/stories/docs/press/Full-Drug-use-among-Irish-prisoner-population.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Ireland URL: http://www.nacd.ie/images/stories/docs/press/Full-Drug-use-among-Irish-prisoner-population.pdf Shelf Number: 132207 Keywords: Drug Abuse and AddictionDrug OffendersHealth CarePrisoners (Ireland)Substance Abuse Treatment |
Author: American University. Washington College of Law. Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law Title: Torture in Healthcare Settings: Reflections on the Special Rapporteur on Torture's 2013 Thematic Report Summary: xiii Foreword As part of its mission to create new tools and strategies for the creative advancement of international human rights norms, in 2012, the Center for Human Rights & Humanitarian Law at American University Washington College of Law and WCL Visiting Professor Juan E. Mendez, created The Anti-Torture Initiative (ATI). The ATI supports the mandate of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment (SRT), a position which Professor Mendez holds. The ATI monitors and assesses the implementation of the SRT's country-specific and thematic recommendations, develops effective follow-up models for expanded implementation for SRT recommendations, and supports the creative advancement of the SRT mandate to end torture worldwide. The publication of this volume, Torture in Healthcare Settings: Reflections on the Special Rapporteur on Torture's 2013 Thematic Report, is one such creative model. It is a first-of-its-kind compilation, which seeks to follow-up and expand upon a thematic report by the SRT. The volume asks a wide variety of stakeholders and thought-leaders to reflect on the SRT's 2013 report on Torture and Ill-Treatment in Health Care Settings (A/HRC/22/53), and to provide a critique and analysis to help promote discussion of the myriad of important issues raised in the report. Details: Washington, DC: Center for Human Rights & Humanitarian Law, 2014. 346p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 8, 2014 at: http://antitorture.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/PDF_Torture_in_Healthcare_Publication.pdf Year: 2014 Country: International URL: http://antitorture.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/PDF_Torture_in_Healthcare_Publication.pdf Shelf Number: 132286 Keywords: Health CareMental HealthMentally IllTorture |
Author: Prisons and Probation Ombudsman for England and Wales Title: Learning from PPO Investigations: End of Life Care Summary: This report presents a review of 214 Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO) fatal incident investigations into foreseeable natural cause deaths in custody. These deaths were due to terminal or incurable diseases in prisons in England and Wales between January 2007 and October 2012. - The review of end of life care in the 214 investigations is placed in the wider context of an ageing prison population. The national and local responses to the changing prison demographic are considered. - The average age at death was 61 years old. Fifty eight per cent of these deaths were of prisoners aged 60 years and over (123 of 214). - The majority of prisoners (85%) in the sample received care which was judged by investigators and their clinical counterparts to be equivalent to that they could have expected to receive in the community. - However, the level of end of life care provided to prisoners varied between prisons. Over a quarter (29%) of prisoners in the sample did not have a palliative care plan in place to support them and their families with their terminal illness. - Eight fatal incident investigations are summarised as case studies, with learning highlighted. The cases address the following themes: - Palliative care plans - The use of restraints - Compassionate release and release on temporary licence - Family involvement - The learning identified is categorised into four groups - The importance of implementing an end of life care plan from the point of terminal diagnosis to support for the family after death. - The need for prisons to place sufficient weight on a prisoner's current health and mobility when assessing the risk they pose to justify any use of restraints. The concordat between the Prison Service and NHS should be followed by every prison to assess the level of restraint required - Where appropriate, applications for early release on compassionate grounds should be completed at the earliest possible opportunity. - The need for families to be involved, where appropriate, in the care planning and how prisons can facilitate and support this. Details: London: Prisons and Probation Ombudsman for England and Wales, 2013. 32p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 14, 2014 at: http://www.ppo.gov.uk/docs/Learning_from_PPO_investigations_-_End_of_life_care_final_web.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.ppo.gov.uk/docs/Learning_from_PPO_investigations_-_End_of_life_care_final_web.pdf Shelf Number: 132352 Keywords: Deaths in Custody (U.K.)Health CarePrisoners |
Author: University of Texas School of Law. Human Rights Clinic Title: Deadly Heat in Texas Prisons Summary: The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is currently violating the human and constitutional rights of inmates in Texas by exposing them to dangerously high temperatures and extreme heat conditions. Extreme heat in TDCJ-run correctional facilities has long caused heat-related injuries and deaths of inmates during the hot Texas summers. Since 2007, at least fourteen inmates incarcerated in various TDCJ facilities across the state of Texas have died from extreme heat exposure while imprisoned. Many of these inmates had preexisting health conditions or were taking medications that rendered them heat-sensitive, yet properly cooled living areas were not provided to them by the TDCJ. These fourteen victims, along with other TDCJ prisoners and even TDCJ personnel, were and continue to be exposed to dangerously high heat levels on a regular basis. This practice violates individuals' human rights, particularly the rights to health, life, physical integrity, and dignity. In spite of repeated, serious, and egregious incidents, the TDCJ has yet to implement measures that effectively mitigate heat-related injury in inmate housing. While the TDCJ has installed fans and allowed for ventilation in inmate living areas, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has proven these measures to be ineffective in preventing heat-related injuries in very hot and humid conditions, such as those present in TDCJ facilities. Despite these findings, TDCJ facilities largely do not provide air conditioning to the living areas of the general inmate population, many of whom are serving time for non-violent offenses. At the same time, the TDCJ has spent money on air conditioning for its warden offices and for its armories. Additionally, the TDCJ has not promulgated any maximum temperature policies for inmate housing, even though the Texas Commission on Jail Standards and numerous other state departments of corrections across the country have done so. As a result, TDCJ inmates continue to suffer through Texas summers, and are forced to risk heatstroke and other heat-related injuries while incarcerated with the TDCJ. This Report, prepared by the Human Rights Clinic of the University of Texas School of Law, concludes that current conditions in TDCJ facilities constitute a violation of Texas's duty to guarantee the rights to health, life, physical integrity, and dignity of detainees, as well as its duty to prevent inhuman or degrading treatment of its inmates. These duties have been affirmed by countless human rights bodies and instruments such as the United Nations Human Rights Committee, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, and the American Declaration on the Rights and Duties of Man, to mention just a few. Many international human rights decisions have found that extreme heat similar to situations in Texas contributes to a finding of inhuman or degrading prison conditions. The TDCJ's continued incarceration of inmates in extreme heat conditions violates its duties to inmates, and constitutes inhumane treatment of such prisoners in violation of international human rights standards. The Human Rights Clinic concludes that current extreme heat conditions in TDCJ facilities also violate inmates' constitutional right to be free from cruel and unusual punishment. The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has recognized time and again that extreme heat in prisons can constitute a violation of inmates' Eighth Amendment rights. In a 2012 case, a 63 year old Texas prisoner presented with a preexisting blood pressure condition, and was taking medication that would affect his body's ability to regulate temperature. The court decided that a reasonable jury could conclude that a failure to provide air conditioning, among other things, to an individual with these conditions was a violation of the prisoner's constitutional rights. Most recently, the Middle District of Louisiana issued a decision in 2013 condemning the extreme heat conditions in a Louisiana prison facility similar to those conditions present in TDCJ facilities as a violation of the Constitution. There is therefore clear and recent precedent for denouncing the hot conditions in TDCJ facilities as violating the guarantees and rights of inmates under the Eighth Amendment. Details: Austin, TX: University of Texas School of Law, Human Rights Clinic, 2014. 40p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 17, 2014 at: http://www.utexas.edu/law/clinics/humanrights/docs/HRC_EH_Report_4-7-14_FINAL.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://www.utexas.edu/law/clinics/humanrights/docs/HRC_EH_Report_4-7-14_FINAL.pdf Shelf Number: 132378 Keywords: Health CareHuman Rights ViolationsHumane TreatmentInmatesPrison ConditionsPrisoner HealthPrisoners (Texas)Prisoners Rights |
Author: Enggist, Stefan Title: Prisons and Health Summary: This book outlines important suggestions by international experts to improve the health of people in prison and to reduce the risks posed by imprisonment to both health and society. In particular, it aims to facilitate better prison health practices in the fields of: -human rights and medical ethics; -communicable diseases; -noncommunicable diseases; -oral health; -risk factors; -vulnerable groups; and -prison health management. It is aimed at professional staff at all levels of responsibility for the health and well-being of detainees and at people with political responsibility. The term "prison" covers all institutions in which a state holds people deprived of their liberty. Details: Copenhagen: World Health Organization, Regional Office for Europe, 2014. 189p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 16, 2014 at: http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/249188/Prisons-and-Health.pdf?ua=1 Year: 2014 Country: International URL: http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/249188/Prisons-and-Health.pdf?ua=1 Shelf Number: 132461 Keywords: Health CareHuman RightsMedical CarePrison ViolencePrisoner Health |
Author: Southern Poverty Law Center Title: Cruel Confinement: Abuse, Discrimination and Death Within Alabama's Prisons Summary: An investigation by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program (ADAP) has found that for many people incarcerated in Alabama's state prisons, a sentence is more than a loss of freedom. Prisoners, including those with disabilities and serious physical and mental illnesses, are condemned to penitentiaries where systemic indifference, discrimination and dangerous - even life-threatening - conditions are the norm. Details: Montgomery, AL: Southern Poverty Law Center, 2014. 24p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 17, 2014 at: http://www.adap.net/Alabama%20Prison%20Report_final.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://www.adap.net/Alabama%20Prison%20Report_final.pdf Shelf Number: 132495 Keywords: DisabilitiesHealth CareMentally Ill OffendersPrison AdministrationPrison ConditionsPrisoners |
Author: World Health Organization. Region Office for Europe Title: Women's Health in Prison: Action guidance and checklists to review current policies and practices Summary: The checklists in this document are an important tool in ensuring greater safety and better quality medical care for women in prison, and are designed to assist a review of current policies and practices relating to women's health in prisons. They follow from the Declaration on women's health in prison: correcting gender inequity in prison health and a background paper on women's health in prison, published in April 2009 by the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, and are therefore based on the evidence presented. While the checklists are aimed primarily at decision- and policy-makers, senior prison managers and prison health staff, there are important interconnections between them. They can also be useful for civil society organizations working on or monitoring the situation of women and their health in prison settings. Details: Copenhagen: WHO, 2011. 24p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 4, 2014 at: http://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/health-determinants/prisons-and-health/publications/2011/womens-health-in-prison-action-guidance-and-checklists-to-review-current-policies-and-practices Year: 2011 Country: International URL: http://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/health-determinants/prisons-and-health/publications/2011/womens-health-in-prison-action-guidance-and-checklists-to-review-current-policies-and-practices Shelf Number: 133172 Keywords: Correctional InstitutionsFemale InmatesFemale PrisonersHealth Care |
Author: Dickey, Nathaniel Title: More than "Modern Day Slavery": Stakeholder Perspectives and Policy on Human Trafficking in Florida Summary: In recent years, Florida has acquired a reputation as fertile ground for human trafficking. On the heels of state and federal anti-human trafficking legislation, a host of organizations have risen to provide a range of services. In this thesis, I discuss findings from 26 interviews conducted with law enforcement, service providers, legal representatives and trafficked persons to contextualize the variability in the way anti-trafficking work is conceptualized by stakeholders across the state. Additionally, I explore how conflicting organizational policies on the local, state, and federal levels impact stakeholder collaboration and complicate trafficked persons' attempts to navigate already complex processes of social/health services and documentation. Lastly, I provide policy recommendations that attempt to address the major issues associated with anti-trafficking work identified through the analysis of participant interviews. Details: Tampa: University of South Florida, 2011. 157p. Source: Internet Resource: Thesis: Accessed September 15, 2014 at: http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/3072/ Year: 2011 Country: United States URL: http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/3072/ Shelf Number: 133303 Keywords: Health CareHuman Trafficking (Florida) Immigration |
Author: Pew Charitable Trusts Title: State Prison Health Care Spending: An examination Summary: Health care and corrections have emerged as fiscal pressure points for states in recent years as rapid spending growth in each area has competed for scarce revenue. Not surprisingly, the intersection of these two spheres - health care for prison inmates - also has experienced a ramp-up, reaching nearly $8 billion in 2011. Under the landmark 1976 Estelle v. Gamble decision, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed that prisoners have a constitutional right to adequate medical attention and concluded that the Eighth Amendment is violated when corrections officials display "deliberate indifference" to an inmate's medical needs. The manner in which states manage prison health care services that meet these legal requirements affects not only inmates' health, but also the public's health and safety and taxpayers' total corrections bill. Effectively treating inmates' physical and mental illnesses, including substance use disorders, improves their well-being and can reduce the likelihood that they will commit new crimes or violate probation once released. The State Health Care Spending Project previously examined cost data from 44 states and found that prison health care spending increased dramatically from fiscal year 2001 to 2008. However, new data from a survey of budget and finance staff officials in each state's department of corrections, administered by The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Vera Institute of Justice, show that some states may be reversing this trend. This report examines the factors driving costs by analyzing new data on all 50 states' prison health care spending from fiscal 2007 to 2011. It also describes a variety of promising strategies that states are using to manage spending, including the use of tele-health technology, improved management of health services contractors, Medicaid financing, and medical or geriatric parole. The project's analysis of the survey data yielded the following findings: - Correctional health care spending rose in 41 states from fiscal 2007 to 2011, with median growth of 13 percent, after adjusting for inflation. - Per-inmate health care spending also rose in 39 states over the period, with a median growth of 10 percent. - In a majority of states, however, total spending and per-inmate spending peaked before fiscal 2011. Nationwide, prison health care spending totaled $7.7 billion in fiscal 2011, down from a peak of $8.2 billion in fiscal 2009. The downturn in spending was due, in part, to a reduction in state prison populations. - From fiscal 2007 to 2011, the share of older inmates - who typically require more expensive care - rose in all but two of the 42 states that submitted prisoner age data. Not surprisingly, states where older inmates represented a relatively large share of the total prisoner population tended to incur higher per-inmate health care spending. As states work to manage prison health care expenditures, a downturn in spending was a positive development as long as it did not come at the expense of access to quality care. But states continue to face a variety of challenges that threaten to drive costs back up. Chief among these is a steadily aging prison population. Details: Washington, DC: Pew Charitable Trusts, 2014. 32p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 30, 2014 at: http://www.pewtrusts.org/~/media/Assets/2014/07/StatePrisonHealthCareSpendingReport.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://www.pewtrusts.org/~/media/Assets/2014/07/StatePrisonHealthCareSpendingReport.pdf Shelf Number: 133833 Keywords: Costs of CorrectionsElderly InmatesHealth CareMentally Ill OffendersPrisoners (U.S.) |
Author: Isaacs, Caroline Title: Death Yards: Continuing Problems with Arizona's Correctional Health Care Summary: On March 6, 2012, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed suit against the Arizona Department of Corrections (ADC) charging that prisoners in the custody of the Arizona Department of Corrections receive such grossly inadequate medical, mental health and dental care that they are in grave danger of suffering serious and preventable injury, amputation, disfigurement and premature death. This class action lawsuit has the potential to force the state of Arizona to improve its prison medical care. But legal battles are long and costly. The state is fighting tooth and nail, including an upcoming challenge to the suit's class action status. The final resolution will likely take years. But what has changed in the day-to-day provision of medical care to prisoners in Arizona? Have conditions improved in light of the charges brought by the suit? Has the transition in management of the medical care from one for-profit corporate contractor (Wexford) to another (Corizon) addressed any of the previous health care lapses? Sadly, the answer appears to be no. Correspondence from prisoners; analysis of medical records, autopsy reports, and investigations; and interviews with anonymous prison staff and outside experts indicate that, if anything, things have gotten worse. Details: Tucson: American Friends Service Committee -- Tucson, 2013. 34p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 20, 2014 at: http://afscarizona.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/death-yards-continuing-problems-with-arizonas-correctional-health-care-2013.pdf Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://afscarizona.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/death-yards-continuing-problems-with-arizonas-correctional-health-care-2013.pdf Shelf Number: 134161 Keywords: Correctional AdministrationCorrectionsHealth CareMedical CarePrisonersPrisons (Arizona)Privatization |
Author: Open Society Foundations Title: To Protect and Serve: How Police, Sex Workers, and People Who Use Drugs Are Joining Forces to Improve Health and Human Rights Summary: Around the world, sex workers and people who use drugs report that police are often a major impediment to accessing health and social services. Common police practices- - using condoms as evidence of prostitution, harassing drug users at needle exchange points, or confiscating medications for drug treatment- fuel the HIV epidemic by driving sex workers and drug users away from life-saving services. Emerging partnerships between police, health experts, and community groups are beginning to prove that law enforcement and HIV-prevention programs can work together to save lives while reducing crime. When successfully implemented, these programs reduce the risk of HIV and drug overdose, and protect the health and human rights of these communities. Through detailed case studies from Burma, Ghana, India, Kenya, and Kyrgyzstan, this report examines how public health-centered law enforcement can reduce the risk of HIV infections among sex workers and drug users. The lessons of more than two decades of the response to HIV are clear: Police reform and community-police cooperation are as crucial to HIV prevention among criminalized groups as a condom or a clean needle, and should be supported as a central part of HIV and AIDS programming Details: New York: Open Society Foundations, 2014. 58p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 25, 2014 at: http://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/sites/default/files/protect-serve-20140716.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Africa URL: http://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/sites/default/files/protect-serve-20140716.pdf Shelf Number: 134232 Keywords: Drug Abuse and AddictionDrug Abuse TreatmentHealth CarePolice-Community RelationsProstitutesProstitutionSex Workers (Africa) |
Author: Maruschak, Laura M. Title: Medical Problems of State and Federal Prisoners and Jail Inmates, 2011-2012 Summary: The report presents the prevalence of medical problems among state and federal prisoners and jail inmates, highlighting differences in rates of chronic conditions and infectious diseases by demographic characteristic. The report describes health care services and treatment received by prisoners and jail inmates with health problems, including doctor's visits, use of prescription medication, and other types of treatment. It also explains reasons why inmates with health problems were not receiving care and describes inmate satisfaction with health services received while incarcerated. Data were from the 2011-12 National Inmate Survey. Highlights: In 2011-12, an estimated 40% of state and federal prisoners and jail inmates reported having a current chronic medical condition while about half reported ever having a chronic medical condition. Twenty-one percent of prisoners and 14% of jail inmates reported ever having tuberculosis, hepatitis B or C, or other STDs (excluding HIV or AIDS). Both prisoners and jail inmates were more likely than the general population to report ever having a chronic condition or infectious disease. The same finding held true for each specific condition or infectious disease. Among prisoners and jail inmates, females were more likely than males to report ever having a chronic condition. High blood pressure was the most common chronic condition reported by prisoners (30%) and jail inmates (26%). About 66% of prisoners and 40% of jail inmates with a chronic condition at the time of interview reported taking prescription medication. More than half of prisoners (56%) and jail inmates (51%) said that they were either very satisfied or somewhat satisfied with the health care services received since admission. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2015. 23p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 9, 2015 at: http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/mpsfpji1112.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/mpsfpji1112.pdf Shelf Number: 134585 Keywords: Health CareHealth ServicesMedical CareMentally Ill OffendersPrisoners (U.S.) |
Author: Great Britain. Department of Health Title: Clinical management of drug dependence in the adult prison setting including psychosocial treatment as a core part. Summary: This document describes how clinical services for the management of substance misusers in prison should develop during the next two years as increasing resources permit. The aim is to address the current challenges facing the care and treatment of substance misusers in prisons. These include: - the vulnerability of drug-using prisoners to suicide and self-harm in prison, and to death upon release from custody due to accidental opiate overdose; - prison regime management problems related to illicit drug use in prisons; - the impetus to provide clinical services that correspond to national (NTA 2003) and international good practice; - the need to provide clinical interventions that harmonise with practice in community and other criminal justice settings (NOMS 2005); - the need to integrate further healthcare and Counselling, Assessment, Referral, Advice and Throughcare (CARAT) services in prisons, to create multi-disciplinary drug teams. Details: London: Department of Health, 2006. 64p. Source: Internet Resource: accessed February 9, 2015 at: http://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/11496/1/Clinical_management.pdf Year: 2006 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/11496/1/Clinical_management.pdf Shelf Number: 134586 Keywords: Drug Offenders (U.K.)Drug TreatmentHealth CarePrisoners |
Author: Kraft-Stolar, Tamar Title: Reproductive Injustice:The State of Reproductive Health Care for Women in New York State Prisons Summary: each and every visit the Correctional Association of New York (CA) conducts to women's prisons in New York, we meet women who tell us about the serious problems they face in accessing appropriate health care and the particular challenges of securing women-specific care during their incarceration. The consistency and intensity of these concerns over the years led us to undertake this study, the most extensive study of reproductive health care in a state prison system to date. Shining a light on this topic is critical because access to quality reproductive health care is a basic human right, as is a woman's ability to control her own reproductive decisions. Prison infringes on those rights, exposing women to substandard reproductive health care and denying women the right to choose when to have children and the right to be full-time parents to the children they already have. Prisons fuel social and racial injustice, undermining the conditions necessary for women to have reproductive autonomy, and to live safe and fulfilling lives. Reproductive health also serves as an important lens onto the unique experiences of incarcerated women and the dehumanization that defines life in prison. It illuminates the specific degradation that accompanies being a woman in prison, from shackling during pregnancy to the separation of mothers from their newborns to the denial of sufficient sanitary supplies. Finally, reproductive health care in prison is fundamental to the well-being of families and communities as almost everyone in prison eventually goes home. Despite this, state prison officials do not pay adequate attention to reproductive health care and neither do public health authorities when this care happens behind prison walls. The lack of oversight is alarming considering that the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) is responsible for providing reproductive health care to more than 2,300 women on any given day, and to nearly 4,000 women over the course of one year, about 40 of whom are pregnant. Women in prisons across the country face similar problems in accessing adequate reproductive health care and humane treatment, and the explosion in the number of incarcerated women over the past few decades has only exacerbated these problems. The U.S. women's prison population rose from about 11,200 in 1977 to about 111,300 in 2013, an increase of nearly 900% over a 36-year time span. As a result, the U.S. currently incarcerates more women per capita than any other country in the world: we have less than 5% of the world's women yet nearly 33% of the world's incarcerated women. This massive overuse of incarceration does not affect all women equally. Women in prison are overwhelmingly from low-income communities, and a vastly disproportionate number are women of color. Many have had little formal education, and many struggle with serious health conditions, including substance abuse and mental illness. Almost all have brutal histories of abuse. A majority are mothers, often of small children, and many were caring for their children on their own before prison. Most women are in prison for crimes related to addiction, poverty, mental illness, domestic violence and trauma. These realities reflect the criminal justice system's racism and targeting of marginalized communities, and our society's destructive over-reliance on incarceration as a response to problems that are, at their root, social and economic. Details: New York: Women in Prison Project, Correctional Association of New York, 2015. 233p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 19, 2015 at: http://www.correctionalassociation.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Reproductive-Injustice-FULL-REPORT-FINAL-2-11-15.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: http://www.correctionalassociation.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Reproductive-Injustice-FULL-REPORT-FINAL-2-11-15.pdf Shelf Number: 134657 Keywords: Female InmatesFemale PrisonersHealth CareMedical CarePregnant Inmates (New York) |
Author: Zimmerman, Cathy Title: Health and human trafficking in the Greater Mekong Subregion: Findings from a survey of men, women and children in Thailand, Cambodia and Viet Nam Summary: Trafficking in human beings is a gross violation of human rights that often involves extreme exploitation and abuse. People are trafficked for various forms of exploitation, including labour exploitation in various low-skilled sectors and sexual exploitation. In these circumstances, trafficked persons are exposed to a multitude of health risks, in addition to violence, deprivation and serious occupational hazards. These dangers frequently result in acute and longer-term morbidity - and sometimes even death. Many, if not most, of those who survive a trafficking experience will require medical care for their physical and psychological health needs. To date, there has been very limited robust research on the health consequences of human trafficking, and to our knowledge, no surveys have been conducted on the health needs of survivors of trafficking for various forms of labour in the Greater Mekong subregion. In response to evidence gaps on health and trafficking, a prospective, cross-sectional, multi-site survey was conducted among people in post-trafficking services to identify their health risks and priority health-care needs. The findings of this survey were based on responses provided by 1,102 people who had been exploited and were willing to share their experiences and voice their health concerns. While these findings illustrate an overwhelming panorama of abuse, at the same time they offer a picture of hope through the opportunity to understand and respond with better health protection and response mechanisms in the future. Details: International Organization for Migration and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, 2014. 102p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 27, 2015 at: http://th.iom.int/images/report/Health_and_Human_Trafficking_in_the_GMS.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Asia URL: http://th.iom.int/images/report/Health_and_Human_Trafficking_in_the_GMS.pdf Shelf Number: 134726 Keywords: Forced LaborHealth CareHuman Trafficking (Asia)Sexual Exploitation |
Author: McDaniel, Dustin S. Title: No Escape: Exposure to Toxic Coal Waste at State Correctional Institution Fayette Summary: A 12-month investigation into the health impact of exposure to toxic coal waste on the prisoner population at State Correctional Institution (SCI) Fayette has uncovered an alarming rate of serious health problems. Surrounded by "about 40 million tons of waste, two coal slurry ponds, and millions of cubic yards of coal combustion waste," SCI Fayette is inescapably situated in the midst of a massive toxic waste dump.2 Over the past year, more and more prisoners have reported declining health, revealing a pattern of symptomatic clusters consistent with exposure to toxic coal waste: respiratory, throat and sinus conditions; skin irritation and rashes; gastrointestinal tract problems; pre-cancerous growths and cancer; thyroid disorders; other symptoms such as eye irritation, blurred vision, headaches, dizziness, hair loss, weight loss, fatigue, and loss of mental focus and concentration. The Human Rights Coalition (HRC), Center for Coalfield Justice (CCJ), and the Abolitionist Law Center (ALC) launched this investigation in August 2013. The investigation is not only ongoing, but also is expanding, as HRC and ALC continue to document reports of adverse health symptoms and environmental pollution, interview current and former prisoners at SCI Fayette, and conduct research. No Escape describes the preliminary findings from our investigation into the declining health of prisoners at SCI Fayette while providing context about the toxic environment surrounding the prison. Our investigation found: - More than 81% of responding prisoners (61/75) reported respiratory, throat, and sinus conditions, including shortness of breath, chronic coughing, sinus infections, lung infections, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, extreme swelling of the throat, as well as sores, cysts, and tumors in the nose, mouth, and throat. - 68% (51/75) of responding prisoners experienced gastrointestinal problems, including heart burn, stomach pains, diarrhea, ulcers, ulcerative colitis, bloody stools, and vomiting. - 52% (39/75) reported experiencing adverse skin conditions, including painful rashes, hives, cysts, and abscesses. - 12% (9/75) of prisoners reported either being diagnosed with a thyroid disorder at SCI Fayette, or having existing thyroid problems exacerbated after transfer to the prison. - Eleven prisoners died from cancer at SCI Fayette between January of 2010 and December of 2013. Another six prisoners have reported being diagnosed with cancer at SCI Fayette, and a further eight report undiagnosed tumors and lumps. Unlike reports of health problems from prisoners at other Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (PADOC) prisons, most SCI Fayette prisoners discuss symptoms and illnesses that did not emerge until they arrived at SCI Fayette. The patterns of illnesses described in this report, coupled with the prison being geographically enveloped by a toxic coal waste site, point to a hidden health crisis impacting a captive and vulnerable population. Our investigation leads us to believe that the declining health of prisoners at SCI Fayette is indeed caused by the toxic environment surrounding the prison; however, the inherent limitations of the survey do not establish this belief at an empirical level. A substantial mobilization of resources for continued investigation will be required to confirm the relationship between prisoner health and pollution from coal refuse and ash. Details: Pittsburgh, PA: Abolitionist Law Center, 2015. 30p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 30, 2015 at: https://abolitionistlawcenter.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/no-escape-3-3mb.pdf Year: 2015 Country: United States URL: https://abolitionistlawcenter.files.wordpress.com/2014/09/no-escape-3-3mb.pdf Shelf Number: 135829 Keywords: Health CareInmate HealthPrisoner HealthPrisonersToxic Waste |
Author: de Viggiani, Nick Title: A Healthy Prison Strategy for HMP Bristol Summary: This report summarises progress in establishing a Healthy Prison strategy for HMP Bristol. It follows a period of consultancy with the prison commissioned by NHS Bristol, and carried out as follow-up to a 2007-8 Health Needs Assessment (HNA) conducted at the prison. The aims of this work were to: [1] assess and build commitment within the prison for a 'healthy prison' strategy; [2] produce a realistic and feasible plan for developing the strategy; [3] create a strategy group to lead and drive the project; and [4] form and publish key performance standards for the prison. A period of consultation preceded publication of this report, which involved interviews and meetings with a range of Prison Service and NHS stakeholders and close scrutiny of relevant reports and publications. It should be noted that work on this strategy is ongoing and now forms part of the core business of HMP Bristol. Details: Bristol, UK: University of the West of England, 2009. 49p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 4, 2015 at: http://eprints.uwe.ac.uk/8252/1/HMP_Bristol_strategy.pdf Year: 2009 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://eprints.uwe.ac.uk/8252/1/HMP_Bristol_strategy.pdf Shelf Number: 135903 Keywords: Health CareMedical CarePrisons |
Author: De Vito, Elisabetta Title: Public health aspects of migrant health: a review of the evidence on health status for undocumented migrants in the European Region Summary: Undocumented migrants are people within a country without the necessary documents and permits. They are considered at higher risk for health problems because of their irregular status and the consequences of economic and social marginalization. A systematic review found 122 documents that suggested policies and interventions to improve health care access and delivery for undocumented migrants. Undocumented migrants mostly have only access to emergency care across Europe, and even in the countries where they are fully entitled to health care, formal and informal barriers hinder their access. This raises concerns for both public health and migrant care. On the basis of findings, policy options are suggested regarding data collection, research, entitlement to health care, information and communication, training and intersectoral approaches. Details: Copenhagen: World Health Organization, 2015. 49p., app. Source: Internet Resource: Health Evidence Network synthesis report 42: Accessed November 9, 2015 at: http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/289255/WHO-HEN-Report-A5-3-Undocumented_FINAL-rev1.pdf?ua=1 Year: 2015 Country: Europe URL: http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/289255/WHO-HEN-Report-A5-3-Undocumented_FINAL-rev1.pdf?ua=1 Shelf Number: 137227 Keywords: Health CareIllegal ImmigrationMigrantsUndocumented Migrants |
Author: American Civil Liberties Union Title: Fatal Neglect: How ICE Ignores Deaths in Detention Summary: Egregious violations of ICE medical care standards played a prominent role in eight deaths in immigration detention facilities from 2010 to 2012. Fatal Neglect: How ICE Ignores Deaths in Detention, a report jointly produced by the American Civil Liberties Union, Detention Watch Network, and National Immigrant Justice Center, examines these deaths and the agency's response to them. Our research shows that even though ICE conducted reviews that identified violations of medical standards as contributing factors in these deaths, routine ICE detention facility inspections before and after the deaths failed to acknowledge - or at times dismissed - these violations. Instead of forcing changes in culture, systems, and processes that could reduce future deaths, ICE's deficient inspections system essentially swept the agency's own death review findings under the rug. Details: New York: ACLU, 2016. 28p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 26, 2016 at: https://www.aclu.org/sites/default/files/field_document/fatal_neglect_acludwnnijc.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://www.aclu.org/sites/default/files/field_document/fatal_neglect_acludwnnijc.pdf Shelf Number: 137986 Keywords: Deaths in CustodyHealth CareIllegal ImmigrantsImmigrant Detention |
Author: Minnesota. Office of the Legislative Auditor Title: Health Services in State Correctional Facilities Summary: - The Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) provides health services to inmates through a combination of its own employees and contracted services. - Inmates have considerable access to health care, although several important access issues merit attention. - DOC has not established a sufficiently coordinated, comprehensive approach for managing the care of individuals with chronic conditions. - The prison system's residential unit for persons with serious mental illness has increasingly provided crisis and stabilization services rather than therapeutic treatment. - DOC's compliance with professional standards is mixed, with room for improvement. - DOC has not developed a comprehensive staffing plan for health services. - Mechanisms for oversight, accountability, and quality improvement for DOC health services have been limited. - DOC has not regularly obtained information that would help it ensure that the administrative costs and profits of its health services contractor are reasonable. - DOC policy requires co-payments in a more limited set of circumstances than indicated by Minnesota statutes. Details: St. Paul: Office of the Legislative Auditor, 2014. 135p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 30, 2016 at: http://www.auditor.leg.state.mn.us/ped/pedrep/prisonhealth.pdf Year: 2014 Country: United States URL: http://www.auditor.leg.state.mn.us/ped/pedrep/prisonhealth.pdf Shelf Number: 138495 Keywords: Correctional InstitutionsHealth CareMental Health ServicesPrisons |
Author: Human Rights Watch Title: Paying the Price: Failure to Deliver HIV Services in Louisiana Parish Jails Summary: In 2011, the United States, in concert with countries around the world, announced the "beginning of the end of AIDS." Defeating AIDS would be a stunning public health achievement. But doing so requires addressing HIV in correctional systems-and nowhere more so than in Louisiana, which leads the nation in new HIV infections and incarceration rates. The same socio-economic factors that place people at risk for HIV-poverty, homelessness, drug dependence, mental illness- are also associated with higher rates of incarceration. For heavily policed groups, the overlap of HIV and imprisonment is not a coincidence. Going to jail tends to make people poorer, less stably housed, and more likely to be jailed again-factors known to play a part in HIV prevention and outcomes. Repeated incarceration, often for minor crimes, can have serious health consequences for people living with HIV. Paying the Price presents the voices of people living with HIV who have been detained in parish jails across Louisiana, where HIV services are limited, sporadic, and often non-existent. HIV testing is limited to a handful of facilities; treatment for HIV in parish jails is delayed, interrupted, and sometimes denied altogether. Despite the importance of continuity of care to people with HIV, those who leave most parish jails in Louisiana endure a haphazard process, including leftover medications, a list of HIV providers, and in some cases nothing at all. Federal, state, and local governments should immediately increase inmates' access to HIV testing, treatment, and linkage to care upon release from Louisiana parish jails. Louisiana should continue to press forward criminal justice reforms that promote alternatives to incarceration. Details: New York: HRW, 2016. 78p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 7, 2016 at: https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/usaids0316web.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/usaids0316web.pdf Shelf Number: 138592 Keywords: Health CareHIV(Viruses)Jail InmatesMedical Care |
Author: Western Australia, Office of the Inspector of Custodial Services Title: Thermal conditions of prison cells Summary: It is critical that acceptable temperatures are maintained in a custodial environment. Prisoners are an 'at-risk' group for temperature related illnesses due in part to their poorer health outcomes: - One-third of prisoners report having a chronic health condition; - 59 per cent of adult prisoners and 65 per cent of juvenile detainees are affected by mental illness; and - A substantial proportion of the prison population are on prescribed medications that increase susceptibility to temperature extremes. Compounding these health vulnerabilities is a prisoner's impaired capacity to make behavioural adaptations to mitigate the temperature conditions they face. Outside prison, someone experiencing hot temperatures may seek a cooler environment (e.g. air-conditioned shopping centre), wet their body and clothes with water, and move away from structures that radiate heat. These actions may not be possible for those restricted to a prison cell. For example, at Roebourne Regional Prison temperatures can reach 50C. The majority of prisoners are locked overnight in cells that are not air-conditioned and that do not have showers. It is not possible for prisoners to seek a cooler environment. Prisoners get through the night by drinking from water bottles chilled prior to lockup, sleeping on the floor, and splashing themselves with water from sinks. Through the day, towels are draped over windows to reduce sunlight entering the room, though this has the disadvantage of inhibiting any beneficial breezes that may be present. These behavioural adaptations reduce risk to a far lesser extent than what is possible in the wider community. Creative behavioural adaptations have also been observed in winter as heaters are not a uniform feature of prisoner accommodation and additional clothing and bedding may be subject to limitations in availability. In the 2001 unannounced inspection of Eastern Goldfields Regional Prison it was noted that prisoners attempted to prevent draughts of cold air by covering cracks in the wall with paper mache bonded with their own saliva. At other prisons the use of paper to cover up ventilation vents has been commonly observed, restricting the flow of fresh air into the cell. At Bandyup Women's Prison, prisoners in the self-care accommodation reported leaving ovens on at maximum temperatures during the day in an effort to warm their house. This Office is aware of two oven doors exploding in the winter of 2014 due to this practice. Prisoner efforts to achieve comfortable temperatures within the limitations of the prison environment can therefore be creative but are unlikely to be fully effective, and can increase other risks such as restricted air flow. For prisoners who are too old, unwell, or mentally ill to undertake these behavioural adaptations, the prison environment poses an acute risk of temperature related ill-health. Details: Perth: Office of the Inspector of Custodial Services, 2015. 72p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 5, 2016 at: http://www.oics.wa.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Thermal-conditions-review-final.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Australia URL: http://www.oics.wa.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Thermal-conditions-review-final.pdf Shelf Number: 138939 Keywords: Correctional InstitutionsHealth CarePrison Conditions |
Author: Californians for Safety and Justice Title: Enrollment Efforts for California's Justice-Involved Populations Summary: Potential to Expand Health Coverage to Justice-Involved Populations California's implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), including its expansion of Medi-Cal (the state's Medicaid program) for low-income childless adults, created an unprecedented opportunity for previously uninsured individuals to receive health coverage and access to health services. Among the newly eligible are many individuals with histories of criminal justice system involvement, including people in county jails or under the supervision of county probation departments. Criminal justice populations have high levels of physical and behavioral health care needs, and providing them with health coverage and services could improve individual health, public health, and public safety outcomes, as well as reduce health and criminal justice system costs. California Counties Seize This Opportunity In 2014, Californians for Safety and Justice conducted a statewide survey of California counties to learn about local efforts to provide jail and probation populations with health coverage application assistance. At the time of this initial survey, it was clear that providing health coverage to criminal justice populations was a priority for the majority of counties, most of which were in the early stages of planning or implementing their enrollment initiatives. Out of the 44 counties that responded to the 2014 survey, all 44 reported that they were actively providing or planning to provide application assistance to jail inmates, and 43 reported that they were actively providing or planning to provide application assistance to adult probationers. The results of this initial survey are discussed in more detail in "Health Coverage Enrollment of California's Local Criminal Justice Populations," available at .safeandjust.org. Details: Oakland, CA: Californians for Safety and Justice, 2016. 16p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 1, 2016 at: http://libcloud.s3.amazonaws.com/211/01/2/685/1/Cnty_CriminalJustice_EnrollmentBrief-FINAL-online_copy.pdf Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: http://libcloud.s3.amazonaws.com/211/01/2/685/1/Cnty_CriminalJustice_EnrollmentBrief-FINAL-online_copy.pdf Shelf Number: 139259 Keywords: Affordable Care ActHealth CareMedical Care |
Author: White, Jordyn Title: Improving Collection of Indicators of Criminal Justice System System Involvement in Population Health Data Programs: Proceedings of a Workshop Summary: In the U.S. criminal justice system in 2014, an estimated 2.2 million people were in incarcerated or under correctional supervision on any given day, and another 4.7 million were under community supervision, such as probation or parole. Among all U.S. adults, 1 in 31 is involved with the criminal justice system, many of them having had recurring encounters. The ability to measure the effects of criminal justice involvement and incarceration on health and health disparities has been a challenge, due largely to limited and inconsistent measures on criminal justice involvement and any data on incarceration in health data collections. The presence of a myriad of confounding factors, such as socioeconomic status and childhood disadvantage, also makes it hard to isolate and identify a causal relationship between criminal justice involvement and health. The Bureau of Justice Statistics collects periodic health data on the people who are incarcerated at any given time, but few national-level surveys have captured criminal justice system involvement for people previously involved in the system or those under community supervision—nor have they collected systematic data on the effects that go beyond the incarcerated individuals themselves. In March 2016 the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine held a workshop meant to assist the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) and Office of the Minority Health (OMH) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in identifying measures of criminal justice involvement that will further their understanding of the socioeconomic determinants of health. Participants investigated the feasibility of collecting criminal justice experience data with national household-based health surveys. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop. Details: Washington, DC: national Academies Press, 2016. 84p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 20, 2016 at: https://www.nap.edu/catalog/24633/improving-collection-of-indicators-of-criminal-justice-system-involvement-in-population-health-data-programs Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: https://www.nap.edu/catalog/24633/improving-collection-of-indicators-of-criminal-justice-system-involvement-in-population-health-data-programs Shelf Number: 147785 Keywords: Children of PrisonersFamilies of InmatesHealth Care Mental HealthSocioeconomic Conditions and Crime |
Author: Noonan, Margaret E. Title: Mortality in Local Jails, 2000-2014 - Statistical Tables Summary: Describes national and state-level data on inmate deaths that occurred in local jails from 2000 to 2014 and includes a preliminary count of inmate deaths in local jails in 2015. Mortality data include the number of deaths and mortality rates by year, cause of death, selected decedent characteristics, and the state where the death occurred. Data are from BJS's Deaths in Custody Reporting Program, which was initiated under the Death in Custody Reporting Act of 2000 (P.L. 106-297). Highlights: Heart disease was the second leading cause of death in local jails, accounting for 23% of deaths between 2000 and 2014. The suicide rate in local jails in 2014 was 50 per 100,000 local jail inmates. This is the highest suicide rate observed in local jails since 2000. More than a third (425 of 1,053 deaths, or 40%) of inmate deaths occurred within the first 7 days of admission. More than a third of inmates who died of homicide (137 of 327) were being held for a violent offense in 2014. Almost half (47%) of suicides occurred in general housing within jails between 2000 and 2014. Details: Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2016. 30p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed December 21, 2016 at: http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=5865 Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=5865 Shelf Number: 146006 Keywords: Deaths in CustodyHealth CareInmatesJail InmatesJailsSuicide |
Author: Revolving Doors Agency Title: Rebalancing Act: A resource for Directors of Public Health, Police and Crime Commissioners and other health and justice commissioners, service providers and users. Summary: This resource is structured around the themes of policy; prevalence; and partnership and governance. In adopting this approach, we have tried to provide an introduction to the context, the need for action, and to highlight some of the activity being undertaken now in local areas to try to address some of the challenges outlined here. The prevalence of health and social problems among those in contact with the CJS is high. This resource draws on a range of published data to illustrate this, and in doing so highlights one of the biggest obstacles in any attempt to redesign systems at a local level. Much of the data is incomplete, out of date, unpublished, or otherwise problematic. It is also widely dispersed, across Government statistical releases and reports, academic journals, and a host of other stakeholders including the police, probation, Jobcentre Plus, health services and local authorities. This highlights the importance of partnership. • The intention is that Rebalancing Act will be the first of a suite of documents; further briefings will provide the opportunity to give further consideration to matters such as NHS sustainability and transformation plans and commissioning. Due to the limited and fragmented data and intelligence, we argue that partnership is central not only to the place-based delivery of services but also to the place-based assessment of need and planning of services. While the need to break out of system siloes has long been understood, the introduction of PCCs and other recent changes, such as devolution deals, may facilitate moves towards this through moving decisions and, crucially, funding to a local level. While these new flexibilities are to be welcomed, this must be tempered with the realisation that public services are operating under serious financial constraints, and that it appears likely that this will remain in the case for the foreseeable future. This resource, of necessity, can only provide a quick tour of some of the most salient factors. This is, in part, due to the wide audience it is written for, which includes: • Police and Crime Commissioners • Directors of Public Health • Clinical commissioning groups • NHS England Health and Justice Commissioners • HM Courts and Tribunals Service • Prison governors • Local authority members • Directors of housing • Directors of adult social care • Directors of children’s and family services • Directors of education • Community Rehabilitation Companies and the National Probation Service • Chief police officers and police services • Voluntary and community sector • Jobcentre Plus managers and providers of labour market programmes • User and family representatives Once stakeholders have been identified and engaged, the call is for the following, straightforward approach to services and systems to be adopted, based on the Shewhart cycle of continuous improvement: plan, do, check and adjust: • build understanding of the specific health needs of people in contact with the criminal justice system locally; • engage with communities, including service users and those with lived experience; • commission and deliver programmes jointly with partners across the system, including developing early intervention and prevention programmes; and monitor and evaluate progress and change. Details: London: Revolving Doors Agency, 2017. 62p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 25, 2017 at: http://www.revolving-doors.org.uk/file/2048/download?token=Y0kaa9j0 Year: 2017 Country: United Kingdom URL: http://www.revolving-doors.org.uk/file/2048/download?token=Y0kaa9j0 Shelf Number: 147826 Keywords: Health CareMental Health ServicesMentally Ill Offenders |
Author: Mallik-Kane, Kamala Title: Using Jail to Enroll Low-Income Men in Medicaid Summary: Many people in jail have serious health needs that can contribute to a cycle of relapse and recidivism, but a recent pilot in Connecticut found that those who left jail with Medicaid coverage availed themselves of outpatient services, prescription medicines, and behavioral health care, often within one month of release. This report details how jail staff worked with Medicaid to implement an enrollment procedure and describes the challenges in conducting enrollment with pretrial detainees given their short stays in jail. Findings suggest that suspending rather than terminating Medicaid coverage when people enter jail, as well as automatically reinstating Medicaid upon release, can increase continuity of care for this high-risk population. Doing so may enhance the health prospects of individuals leaving jail and potentially reduce recidivism, while also minimizing the burden on hospitals of preventable emergency room visits. Details: Washington, DC: Urban Institute, 2016. 40p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 30, 2017 at: http://www.urban.org/research/publication/using-jail-enroll-low-income-men-medicaid/view/full_report Year: 2016 Country: United States URL: http://www.urban.org/research/publication/using-jail-enroll-low-income-men-medicaid/view/full_report Shelf Number: 144877 Keywords: Health CareHealth ServicesMedicaid |
Author: New Zealand. Office of the Ombudsman Title: A question of restraint - Care and management for prisoners considered to be at risk of suicide and self-harm Summary: New Zealand signed the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT) in September 2003 and ratified OPCAT in March 2007. The objective of OPCAT is to establish a system of regular visits by international and national bodies to places of detention in order to prevent torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. OPCAT is incorporated into New Zealand law through the Crimes of Torture Act 1989 (COTA). The Ombudsman was designated a National Preventive Mechanism (NPM) in respect of: - prisons; - premises approved or agreed under the Immigration Act 1987; and - health and disability places of detention. Unlike other human rights treaty processes that deal with violations of rights after the fact, OPCAT is primarily concerned with preventing violations. Our visits are carried out with a view to strengthening protections against ill treatment and improving conditions of detention, taking into account international human rights standards. This preventive approach aims to ensure that sufficient safeguards against ill treatment are in place and that any risks, poor practices or systemic problems are identified and addressed. Each place of detention we visit contains a wide variety of people, often with complex and competing needs. Some detainees are difficult to deal with - demanding and vulnerable - others are more engaging and constructive. All have to be managed within a framework that is consistent and fair to all. While we appreciate the complexity of running such facilities and caring for detainees, our obligation is to ensure that appropriate standards are maintained in the facilities, and to prevent torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. By their very nature, prisons house difficult to manage, sometimes dangerous and often vulnerable prisoners who can push boundaries and challenge the system. In coercive establishments such as prisons, there is a danger that security is over-emphasised to the detriment of the dignity of prisoners. This year we found examples where order and security prevailed too easily over dignity and fairness; specifically, the care and treatment of adult prisoners considered to be at risk of suicide and self-harm. This report highlights our observations and findings over the reporting period July 2015 - June 2016 and focuses on the comprehensive inspections of five prison sites: Arohata Women's Prison, Manawatu Prison, Rolleston Prison, Invercargill Prison and Otago Corrections Facility. Additional visits to Auckland Prison, Auckland Regional Women's Corrections Facility, Auckland South Corrections Facility (managed by SERCO), Christchurch Men's Prison and Rimutaka Prison are also referred to in the body of the report and help inform the overall findings in this report. Details: Wellington, NZ: Office of the Ombudsman, 2017. 48p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 4, 2017 at: http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/system/paperclip/document_files/document_files/1905/original/a_question_of_restraint_march_2017.pdf?1493174263 Year: 2017 Country: New Zealand URL: http://www.ombudsman.parliament.nz/system/paperclip/document_files/document_files/1905/original/a_question_of_restraint_march_2017.pdf?1493174263 Shelf Number: 145304 Keywords: Health CarePrison SuicidesPrisoner RestraintSelf-HarmSuicide |
Author: Little, Cheryl Title: Cries for Help: Medical Care at Krome Service Processing Center and in Florida's County Jails Summary: The Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center had issues a report outlining allegations of unsanitary and unsafe conditions inside the Public Health Service at Krome. The report states that conditions at the medical center have worsened in the past three years as the population of detainees has grown by about 40 percent, from about 400 to 562 detainees. Details: Miami, FL: Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center, 1999. 118p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 9, 2017 at: http://www.aijustice.org/cries_for_help Year: 1999 Country: United States URL: http://www.aijustice.org/cries_for_help Shelf Number: 145359 Keywords: Health CareHealth ServicesJail InmatesJails |
Author: Human Rights Watch Title: Systemic Indifference: Dangerous and Substandard Medical Care in US Immigration Detention Summary: On April 6, 2015, Raul Ernesto Morales-Ramos, a 44-year-old citizen of El Salvador, died at Palmdale Regional Medical Center in Palmdale, California, of organ failure, with signs of widespread cancer. He had entered immigration custody four years earlier in March 2011. He was first detained at Theo Lacy Facility, operated by the Orange County Sheriff's Department, and then at Adelanto Detention Facility, operated by the private company Geo Group, both of which had contracts with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement ("ICE") to hold non-citizens for immigration purposes. An ICE investigation into the death of Morales-Ramos found that the medical care he received at both facilities failed to meet applicable standards of care in numerous ways. Two independent medical experts, analyzing ICE's investigation for Human Rights Watch, agreed that he likely suffered from symptoms of cancer starting in 2013, but that the symptoms essentially went unaddressed for two years, until a month before he died. Details: New York: HRW, 2017. 113p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 16, 2017 at: https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/usimmigration0517_web_0.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/usimmigration0517_web_0.pdf Shelf Number: 145479 Keywords: Health CareIllegal ImmigrantsImmigrant DetentionMedical Care |
Author: Wintringham Title: "Silver Bullet": Or confused greying fox? Best Practice Support Model for Older Prisoners Summary: The number of older prisoners in Australian prisons increased by 84 percent over the past decade 2000 - 2010 (ABS 2010b, 2000). This rising number and proportion of older prisoners has implications for planning, policy and service delivery across the correctional systems, with the most immediate and apparent issues facing older prisoners being related to ageing and associated declines in mental and physical health. In Australia, the increasing levels of older and geriatric prisoners have been driven by factors which include the wider community's increasing longevity being reflected in the prison system, together with advances in forensic investigations leading to charges being laid many years after the actual offence. For whatever reason however, jails in Australia (and around the world) are now increasingly accommodating older people who have aged care needs that are currently beyond the capacity of a justice system to provide. Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 2011 data shows that older prisoners (over 60) have a much higher percentage of a "serious" offence charge than their younger cohorts. Sexual assault dominates the offences of older prisoners. Although a 'typical' older offender is not identified in the literature, the apparently increasing prevalence of sex offenders among older male prisoners is frequently noted throughout the literature (APCCA 2001; Bramhall 2006; Carlisle 2006; Crawley 2004; Crawley & Sparks 2006; Dobson 2004; Heckenberg 2006; Ove 2005; Papanikolas 2006; Prison Reform Trust 2003a, 2003b, 2006; Uzoaba 1998; Valios 2008). According to Heckenberg (2006), of all male sentenced prisoners over the age of 45 in Tasmania, South Australia, Victoria and New Zealand, 50 per cent were imprisoned for sexual assault and homicide. In the UK, USA, Canada and Australia, this rise in older sex offenders in prison could be due to more aggressive policing practices and government legislative responses to public disquiet about sex offenders and so-called lenient sentencing (BBC 2003; Gaseau 2004; Heckenberg 2006). Contrary to other older offenders, sex offenders are a highly visible group and are frequently categorised by their offence, rather than their age (Bramhall 2006; Dobson 2004; Heckenberg 2006). Some writers argue therefore, older sex offenders are subjected to the highest level of discrimination of any offender group, by virtue of the combination of their age and offence category and the public attitudes toward these offenders (Crawley 2004; Crawley & Sparks 2006; Heckenberg 2006; Prison Reform Trust 2003a). If Wintringham is to provide best practice support for aged prisoners, there is no doubt staff need to be supported to develop a deeper understanding of the issues faced by this cohort of prisoners. Australian Guidelines for Correctional Centres indicate correctional services should provide proper health care to prisoners; yet there is evidence older prisoners' aged care needs are not met and further, they are more vulnerable to victimisations than their younger, generally stronger counterparts. This predicament for aged prisoners is paralleled by the aged homeless and has been well described by Bryan Lipmann (Elderly Homeless Men and Women: Aged Care's Forgotten People). Victoria's Justice system is clearly in need of expert advice and expertise from an organisation such as Wintringham to help provide for these Wintringham's specialist aged care focus leads it to be naturally involved with clients who have had some relationship with correctional services. Given this reality, Wintringham have commenced a more formal relationship with Corrections Victoria. Through this relationship Wintringham's knowledge of the issues surrounding housing, care and support of older prisoners has further developed. Wintringham staff have become aware of the increasing number of elderly prisoners within Victorian jails. The growing numbers of elderly prisoners and the dilemma they pose to the Justice system regarding how best to provide appropriate care within a secure setting, resulted in an invitation from the then Secretary of the Justice Department, Ms Penny Armytage, for senior Executives from Wintringham to accompany her on visits to a number of metropolitan and country jails to discuss the problem (2010). Whilst evidence indicates that Victorian prisons have a growing ageing prison population, there was little evidence of a coordinated approach to managing the aged related issues of prisoners in a contemporary manner. Strategies such as reliance on the prison hospital for care of the elderly have been employed. This is equivalent to the general, "free-world" population being reliant on acute care hospitals for aged care services. Not only is this a costly approach to aged care, acute care hospitals do not have the specialist aged care knowledge that the aged care industry has developed over many years. Details: Kensington, VIC, AUS: Wintringham, 2013. 117p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 22, 2017 at: http://www.wintringham.org.au/file/434/I/Best_Practice_Support_Model_for_Older_Prisoners.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Australia URL: http://www.wintringham.org.au/file/434/I/Best_Practice_Support_Model_for_Older_Prisoners.pdf Shelf Number: 131713 Keywords: Aged OffendersElderly InmatesElderly PrisonersHealth Care |
Author: Victorian Health Promotion Foundation (VicHealth) Title: The Health Costs of Violence: Measuring the burden of disease caused by intimate partner violence. A summary of findings Summary: This publication is a summary of a study conducted to assess the health impact of intimate partner violence on women. The study was supported by VicHealth in partnership with the Department of Human Services and was conducted with contributions from a range of experts from across Victoria and elsewhere. While focussing on health, it complements a vast body of evidence demonstrating the serious social and economic consequences of intimate partner violence for individuals, families and communities. Details: Carlton South, VIC: The Foundation, 2004. (Reprinted 2010). 44p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 16, 2017 at: file:///C:/Users/pschultze/Downloads/IPV%20BOD%20web%20version%20(2).pdf Year: 2004 Country: Australia URL: file:///C:/Users/pschultze/Downloads/IPV%20BOD%20web%20version%20(2).pdf Shelf Number: 147693 Keywords: Costs of Violence Economics of Crime Health CareIntimate Partner Violence Violence Against Women |
Author: Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission Title: Corruption risks associated with the public health sector Summary: The Victorian public health sector has the largest budget and employs the most people of any sector operated by the Victorian government. More than $15billion of the state budget is spent on public health each year and the public health sector employs more than 106,000 people, almost one-third of the entire Victorian public sector. The health sector faces unique corruption risks. Access to controlled drugs, complex employment agreements and billing structures, and multiple complaints systems present challenges specific to the health sector. The strong hierarchical culture within the medical profession may enable behaviours that drive or obscure corrupt conduct. But many integrity issues facing the health sector are not unique; for example, procurement and conflicts of interest have been identified by IBAC as corruption risks affecting agencies across Victoria's public sector. This report presents a snapshot of health sector complaints and cases that have arisen during IBAC's first four years of operation. It explores the corruption vulnerabilities associated with the health sector - both those specific to the health sector and those it shares with the broader public sector. Highlighting such issues helps the health sector to identify corruption risks, and take appropriate prevention and detection actions to address them. 2.1 Key findings 1. The size, diversity and nature of the public health system creates corruption risks and vulnerabilities that are specific to the health sector. These include the theft of controlled drugs, covering up of clinical malpractice, fraudulent billing practices and bullying within the medical profession, which can enable or obscure corrupt conduct. 2. The public health sector shares other significant corruption risks with the broader public sector. These include risks associated with procurement and contract management, funding vulnerabilities, employment practices, and thefts of cash and smaller physical assets. 3. Non-government organisations such as community health centres, which are government funded to deliver public health services, potentially represent a significant gap in IBAC's jurisdiction. 4. The size and complexity of the health sector, and the comparatively low number of notifications IBAC has received from health sector agencies, means IBAC's awareness of potential risks and vulnerabilities associated with the health sector is still developing. Details: Melbourne: The Commission, 2017. 20p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 13, 2017 at: http://www.ibac.vic.gov.au/docs/default-source/default-document-library/corruption-risks-associated-with-the-public-health-sector.pdf?sfvrsn=0 Year: 2017 Country: Australia URL: http://www.ibac.vic.gov.au/docs/default-source/default-document-library/corruption-risks-associated-with-the-public-health-sector.pdf?sfvrsn=0 Shelf Number: 148142 Keywords: Corruption Health CareHealth Sector Health Service |
Author: Vogler, Jacob Title: Access to Health Care and Criminal Behavior: Short-Run Evidence from the ACA Medicaid Expansions Summary: I investigate the causal relationship between access to health care and criminal behavior following state decisions to expand Medicaid coverage after the Affordable Care Act. Many of the newly eligible individuals for Medicaid-provided health insurance are adults at high risk for crime. I leverage variation in insurance eligibility generated by state decisions to expand Medicaid and differential pre-treatment uninsured rates at the county-level. My findings indicate that the Medicaid expansions have resulted in significant decreases in annual crime by 3.2 percent. This estimate is driven by significant decreases in both reported violent and property crime. A within-state heterogeneity analysis suggests that crime impacts are more pronounced in counties with higher pre-reform uninsured levels. The estimated decrease in reported crime amounts to an annual cost savings of $13.6 billion Details: Unpublished paper, 2017. 53p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 20, 2017 at: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3042267 Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3042267 Shelf Number: 148279 Keywords: Affordable Care ActHealth CareHealth InsuranceMedicaid |
Author: Disability Rights New York Title: Report and Recommendations Concerning Attica Correctional Facility's Residential Mental Health Unit Summary: Disability Rights New York (DRNY) is the designated federal Protection and Advocacy System for individuals with disabilities in New York State. DRNY has broad authority under federal and state law to monitor conditions and investigate allegations of abuse or neglect occurring in any public or private facility, including state prisons. DRNY monitored and investigated Attica Correctional Facility's Residential Mental Health Unit (RMHU), one of several residential mental health treatment units (RMHTU). The New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) operates segregated disciplinary confinement units called Special Housing Units (SHU) and Long-Term Keeplock Units. Individuals diagnosed with serious mental illness must be removed from SHU or LongTerm Keeplock and placed into a RMHTU. The RMHTUs are jointly operated by DOCCS and the New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH). DRNY conducted a site visit and in-person interviews at Attica in August 2015, corresponded with incarcerated individuals from August 2015 through December 2016, reviewed security and mental health records and policies, and communicated with DOCCS and OMH executive staff. DRNY finds that DOCCS and OMH abused and neglected RMHU participants, and violated New York Correction Law provisions governing RMHTUs, collectively known as the SHU Exclusion Law. Specifically, DRNY finds DOCCS and OMH violated New York Correction Law - 2(21), 401(1), 401(2), and 401(6). 1. DOCCS and OMH neglected and abused RMHU participants by imposing cell shields in the RMHU without consideration of an individual's mental health condition and without clinical input by OMH, in violation of the SHU Exclusion Law. 2. DOCCS's regulations fail to require OMH clinical input and consideration of mental health status before issuing and when renewing cell shield orders, thereby violating the SHU Exclusion Law. 3. DOCCS's use of cell shields in the RMHU violates state regulations and due process by failing to justify implementation and continuation of cell shield orders. 4. DOCCS and OMH neglected and abused RMHU participants by failing to clinically assess their therapeutic needs prior to imposing programming restrictions, despite the requirement of the SHU Exclusion Law, and by failing to provide a safe environment. 5. DOCCS neglected RMHU participants and violated the SHU Exclusion Law by staffing the RMHU with SHU officers and other untrained staff. DOCCS continued to neglect individuals and violate the law by failing to correct the problem after notification by DRNY. 6. DOCCS and OMH neglected RMHU participants by providing "alternative therapy" cellside, including in some cases when participants are behind cell shields, thereby denying RMHU participants appropriate treatment. 7. DOCCS does not provide an adequate therapeutic setting for RMHU participants. DOCCS and OMH must take immediate action to ensure a therapeutic environment that is free from abuse and neglect. Details: Albany: Disability Rights New York, 2017. 27p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 6, 2018 at: http://new.drny.org/docs/reports/attica-rmhu-report-9-12-2017.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: http://new.drny.org/docs/reports/attica-rmhu-report-9-12-2017.pdf Shelf Number: 149012 Keywords: Attica Correctional FacilityCorrectional HealthHealth CareMental Health CareMentally Ill InmatesPrison Health |
Author: European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control Title: Systematic review on active case finding of communicable diseases in prison settings Summary: A higher prevalence of communicable diseases among people in prison compared with the general public is recognised as a public health issue as well as a major concern for the people affected, as the majority of incarcerated people return to their communities. Active case finding is a key prevention measure to promote early diagnosis, treatment and to prevent further disease transmission. The objective of this report is to systematically review the evidence on active case finding in prison settings, with a focus on the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA) region. The communicable diseases targeted by this review were not selected a priori, but identified through the retrieved evidence. Details: Stockholm: ECDC, 2017. 50p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 14, 2018 at: https://ecdc.europa.eu/sites/portal/files/documents/Systematic-review-on-communicable-diseases-in-prison-settings-final-report.pdf Year: 2017 Country: Europe URL: https://ecdc.europa.eu/sites/portal/files/documents/Systematic-review-on-communicable-diseases-in-prison-settings-final-report.pdf Shelf Number: 149131 Keywords: Diseases Health CarePrison Health Care |
Author: Ali, Farihah Title: Synthetic Cannabinoid Use in Correctional Populations - An Emerging Challenge for Offender Health and Safety? A Brief Review Summary: Synthetic cannabinoids (SCs) have become increasingly popular among various user populations, and have arisen as common alternatives to organic cannabis products. SCs are an emerging category of drugs under the umbrella of New Psychoactive Substances (NPS). They belong to a continually evolving series of synthetic psychoactive product groups, based on successive structural modifications, commonly marketed as herbal mixtures which mimic cannabis' psychoactive effects, and are classified as 'legal highs'. SCs, however, have been associated with a variety of distinct adverse health outcomes (especially acute), some of which are considered more severe than those which result from the use of natural cannabis products. Compared to natural cannabis products, SCs pose threats to users' health, including: elevated levels of cardio-vascular problems, kidney problems, seizures, acute hallucinations, psychosis and anxiety, among others. Various jurisdictions have reported high numbers of presentations to emergency departments, as well as cases of mortality, directly related to the use of SCs. While all forms of SCs are banned in correctional institutions, existing evidence suggests that they have become increasingly popular among offenders, and as such, pose distinct novel challenges for correctional administrations charged with the responsibility for offender health and safety. SC use results in potentially powerful stimulant effects which may make them attractive for use by offenders, but may also result in adverse outcomes which come with potentially undesirable or hazardous consequences for offender behaviour and safety. Moreover, SCs evade major routine drug interdiction and drug testing systems in operation in correctional systems, and hence are attractive for illicit use, trade, and import in correctional settings. To better understand SC use, and the possible health and safety consequences for offenders, this report reviewed pertinent national and international literature on SC use, availability, and related health outcomes among general and correctional populations. Research data on SCs in the context of Canadian correctional systems are currently limited, and are thus urgently required. Educating offenders and correctional staff on the risks of SC use is imperative, and correctional systems should prepare for the potential health and safety consequences of increased SC use while awaiting the results and guidance offered by future research. Details: Ottawa: Correctional Service of Canada, 2017. 24p. Source: Internet Resource: 2017 No.R-397: Accessed March 13, 2018 at: http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2017/scc-csc/PS83-3-397-eng.pdf Year: 2017 Country: Canada URL: http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2017/scc-csc/PS83-3-397-eng.pdf Shelf Number: 149456 Keywords: Correctional InstitutionsDrug Abuse and AddictionDrug OffendersHealth CarePrisonersPsychoactive Substances |
Author: Semple, Tori Title: Injuries and Deaths Proximate to Oleoresin Capsicum Spray Deployment: A Literature Review Summary: The primary goal of this literature review was to assess research (both published and unpublished) related to injuries and deaths proximate to Oleoresin Capsicum (OC) spray deployment. A search of several databases and search engines produced 22 documents that were deemed relevant for the review. Existing research makes it clear that OC spray is now commonly used across a variety of settings, including law enforcement and corrections. Research has also demonstrated that the impact of OC spray will vary as a function of numerous factors, including: its concentration, its physiochemical properties, the deployment device used, and a range of subject (e.g., clothing) and environmental (e.g., weather) factors. A number of studies have examined the operational effectiveness of OC spray (i.e., to control resistant subjects). Some of these studies have included injuries (to the subject and to the person deploying the spray) as outcome variables. This research demonstrates that OC spray is often effective and it is typically associated with decreased odds of both subject and "deployer" injury. This finding is relatively consistent across jurisdictions and conditions. Although there are exceptions, when OC-associated injuries do occur, they consistently appear to be relatively minor. Other research focuses more specifically on the nature of injuries that are associated with the use of OC spray. Most of the specific injuries reported in the literature are relatively minor and individuals targeted by OC spray rarely seem to require serious medical attention. It appears to be very uncommon for OC-associated injuries to have a long-term, negative impact on the affected individual. The vast majority of reported injuries involve eye and skin irritation or pain, altered vision, corneal abrasions, and respiratory symptoms. A number of documents also examined deaths that appear to be associated with the deployment of OC spray. Based on the evidence cited, OC spray is rarely associated with serious harm or death. However, when OC spray is used proximate to a subject's death, common themes are present. In the majority of reported deaths associated with OC spray exposure, the subject appears to be: male, combative, intoxicated (by drugs and/or alcohol), placed in a prone maximal restraint position, and have pre-existing health conditions (most commonly asthma, obesity, and/or cardiovascular disease). Very rarely in the studies we cited was OC spray deemed a contributory or sole cause of death; instead, medical practitioners point to various combinations of these pre-existing factors. The literature review identified several factors that appear to be commonly associated with the deployment of OC spray. These include: the presence of Excited Delirium Syndrome (ExDS), positional asphyxia (especially related to hobble or hog-tie restraint positions), pre-existing health conditions such as asthma and obesity, and drug use (most commonly, psychostimulants such as cocaine). Details: Ottawa: Correctional Service of Canada, 2018. 34p. Source: Internet Resource: 2018 No. R-405: Accessed March 13, 2018 at: http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2018/scc-csc/PS83-3-405-eng.pdf Year: 2018 Country: Canada URL: http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2018/scc-csc/PS83-3-405-eng.pdf Shelf Number: 149458 Keywords: Deaths in CustodyHealth CareInjuriesOleoresin CapsicumPepper Spray |
Author: San Francisco Child Abuse Prevention Center Title: The Economics of Child Abuse: A Study of San Francisco Summary: "The Economics of Child Abuse: A Study of San Francisco" is a first-of-its-kind report quantifying the economic cost of child abuse to the San Francisco community. The report asses community risk factors that make families of the city vulnerable to abuse. It also discusses protective factors which keep families safe and strong. Key Findings -- Estimated lifetime cost per victim of child abuse in San Francisco is $400,533 - The total estimated costs associated with one year of substantiated cases of child abuse in San Francisco is $301.6 million. - Given significant under-reporting of child abuse, the total economic cost could be as high as $5.6 billion. - San Francisco has community risk factors that make its residents more susceptible to abuse, including: impact of economic instability and homelessness, emigration and immigration, low number of families and young children. - Strengthening protective factors - parental resilience, social connections, concrete support in times of need, knowledge of parenting, and social / emotional competence of children - is critical to preventing child abuse. Details: San Francisco: The Child Abuse Prevention Center, and the Haas School of Business at University of California, Berkeley, 2017. 24p. Source: Internet Resource: accessed March 14, 2018 at: https://safeandsound.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/economicsofabuse_report_sfcapc1.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United States URL: https://safeandsound.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/economicsofabuse_report_sfcapc1.pdf Shelf Number: 149468 Keywords: Child Abuse and NeglectChild ProtectionCosts of CrimeCosts of Criminal JusticeEconomics of CrimeHealth Care |
Author: Huh, Kil Title: Jails: Inadvertent Health Care Providers. How county correctional facilities are playing a role in the safety net Summary: Every year, millions of people are booked into U.S. jails. During 2015, the latest year for which data are available, there were 10.9 million admissions to these correctional facilities, which hold individuals who are awaiting trial or serving short sentences. The government running the jail-usually a county-has a constitutional mandate to provide people booked into these facilities with necessary health care. Counties designing a jail health care program targeted to meet the needs of their incarcerated population have the opportunity to improve the health of people in jail and the broader community, spend public dollars more effectively, and, in some cases, reduce recidivism. Yet little is known about how jails administer their health care programs and whether these programs further county public health and safety goals. Research is limited on how counties organize their jail health care services, what care they make available and when, and how they ensure they receive value for their investment in health care. Despite growing awareness of the connection between community services for recently released individuals-especially those with mental illness or substance use disorders, collectively known as behavioral health disorders-and a reduction in recidivism, information about how to achieve this result is scarce. In an effort to give counties tools to improve delivery of services to an underserved population with high needs, The Pew Charitable Trusts, with the assistance of Community Oriented Correctional Health Services, reviewed 81 requests for proposals (RFPs) for contracted jail health care services and conducted in-depth case studies of three jurisdictions. (See the methodology for more detail.) This research revealed wide variation in the ways that counties arrange to provide health care in their jails and the information they supply to help vendors craft bids. Additionally, despite growing recognition of the health needs of those currently and formerly in jail, our analysis found varying approaches to whether and how jails prepare individuals to manage their health once released. The research found that: - Many jails contract with vendors to provide health care. In New York state, for example, 84 percent use vendors to provide at least some health care services. The arrangements that counties make with providers vary; for example, one vendor may be responsible for all services, or a county can use multiple vendors across types of health care services such as mental health and dentistry. Payment models can also vary: While some counties share financial risk for costly medical care with the contractor, others have their vendors assume all risk through a negotiated per-inmate, per-day rate. - The portion of a jail's budget spent on health care can vary widely by county. For instance, in Virginia, jails spend anywhere from 2.5 to 33 percent of their budgets on health care. - Although most jails conduct bookings 24 hours a day, many do not have medical or nursing staff on site to screen incoming individuals at all times. This can lead to delays in identifying and treating acute, possibly lifethreatening health problems, and missed opportunities to divert people with behavioral health disorders into treatment settings rather than jail. Jails with an average daily population (ADP) under 500 are less likely to offer round-the-clock clinical services than are larger ones, a situation probably driven by resource constraints. - Most of the RFPs that were examined look to national accrediting bodies such as the American Correctional Association and the National Commission on Correctional Health Care to guide how the jail offers health care services. Yet few RFPs laid out performance requirements and financial penalties or incentives that would hold contractors accountable for meeting service requirements. Details: New York: Pew Charitable Trusts, 2018. 41p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 6, 2018 at: http://www.pewtrusts.org/~/media/assets/2018/01/sfh_jails_inadvertent_health_care_providers.pdf Year: 2018 Country: United States URL: http://www.pewtrusts.org/~/media/assets/2018/01/sfh_jails_inadvertent_health_care_providers.pdf Shelf Number: 149724 Keywords: Correctional InstitutionsHealth CareJail InmatesMentally Ill Inmates |
Author: Bashford, Jon Title: Inside Gender Identity: A report on meeting the health and social care needs of transgender offenders Summary: This report is about the health and social care needs of trans people in the criminal justice system. This is primarily about offenders, though it should be recognised at the outset that trans people are more often victims of crime than perpetrators. But before we can identify and address the health and social care needs of trans offenders, and what might best be done to meet those needs, we must understand what is meant by the term 'trans'. Firstly, trans is used in this report as an umbrella term that describes a variety of ways of being human that do not fit with, or conform to, stereotypical and/or binary definitions of gender. Secondly, as will be evident from the first statement, trans is a term that is complex to understand and can never do justice to the wide variety of ways of being in the world and identities that it seeks to describe. But this is not entirely unfamiliar territory; the terms Black or South Asian have often been used to describe groups or communities of people that in fact have enormous differences, that make the terms at best unhelpful and at worse a liability. The aim of the review was to provide NHS England, Public Health England and Her Majesty's Prisons and Probation Service (HMPPS) with an appropriate assessment of the evidence base on meeting the health and social care needs of trans people in the criminal justice system. The report on the findings is for the purpose of informing policy and practice in the offender health system, including all ages and the range of provision. This includes an evaluation of the way in which the needs of transgender individuals are included in offender health and social care needs assessments and the implications for service provision and practice. Objectives The specific objectives include: 1. A review of the literature from the UK and other countries as relevant, with respect to health and social care needs of transgender individuals in the criminal justice system. 2. An assessment of current practice with regard to meeting the health and social care needs of transgender individuals in health and social care needs assessments within the criminal justice system. 3. An exploration of the issues for practice in meeting the health and social needs of transgender individuals amongst health and social care staff working in the criminal justice system. 4. To make recommendations for action based on the findings of the above for NHS England and related stakeholders e.g. Public Health England, Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) and related criminal justice partners. Details: Community Innovations Enterprise, 2017. 102p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed April 28, 2018 at: https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/cc3101_97d3c7c868bd434a843546100db510f2.pdf Year: 2017 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/cc3101_97d3c7c868bd434a843546100db510f2.pdf Shelf Number: 149952 Keywords: Health CareMental Health ServicesTransgender InmatesTransgender Offenders |
Author: Milgram, Anne Title: Integrated Health Care and Criminal Justice Data - Viewing the Intersection of Public Safety, Public Health, and Public Policy Through a New Lens: Lessons from Camden, New Jersey Summary: At the intersection of public safety and public health lies the potential to view crime prevention through a new lens: the lens provided by analyzing integrated data from the many agencies that serve vulnerable populations. This study involved the integration of health care and criminal justice data for people who cycle in and out of hospitals and police precincts in Camden, New Jersey. Working pursuant to a grant from the Laura and John Arnold Foundation, researchers from the Camden Coalition of Healthcare Providers (the Coalition) integrated existing data sets to break down traditional information silos, identifying and analyzing the experiences of people who showed an extreme number of contacts with both systems. By analyzing these cross-sector data, Coalition researchers found that a small number of Camden residents have an enormous and disproportionate impact on the health care and criminal justice sectors, neither of which is designed to address the underlying problems they face: housing instability, inconsistent or insufficient income, trauma, inadequate nutrition, lack of supportive social networks, But the study's potential impact goes well beyond the identification of a population that frequently cycles through the health care and criminal justice systems. Cross-sector data offer a more holistic view of the challenges these individuals face, telling a different story than the one we typically hear - a story with far-reaching public policy implications. When we overlay data to view the trajectories of lives through consecutive cross-sector contacts, we begin to see that crime most often happens after, and not before, contacts with hospitals and other government agencies. During these earlier encounters, we could find potential markers that would allow us to identify individuals at risk of future criminal justice involvement. In large part because agencies are not sharing data in the collaborative ways needed to gain a holistic understanding of individuals, opportunities to intervene earlier in their trajectories are lost. Most interventions to prevent recidivism currently occur during the community corrections and re-entry phases, well after a crime has happened and the individual's case has ended. The study suggests that we should shift from a mindset of reacting to immediate health and crime crises as distinct events to focusing on holistic approaches that result in better individual outcomes, increased public safety, and reduced system costs. The holistic view provided by integrated data will allow researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to design earlier interventions to prevent crime and the avoidable use of jails and emergency departments. The Coalition's researchers plan to design and test such interventions in the next phase of this study. This paper is organized in two parts. Part I sets out the Camden study's key findings from the analysis of integrated hospital and police data: - A small percentage of arrestees account for a disproportionate share of total arrests. - There is a relationship between high use of hospital emergency departments (EDs) and frequent arrests. - A small subset of 226 individuals had extreme numbers of contacts with both hospital EDs and police. Part II outlines the potential impact of integrated data analysis on public safety, public health, and public policy: - Cross-sector data that look beyond the criminal justice system, including data on health, housing, employment, and other socio-economic characteristics, provide a holistic view of individuals and their contacts with multiple systems over time. Details: Cambridge, MA: Harvard Kennedy School, Program in Criminal Justice Policy and Management, 2018. 22p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed May 4, 2018 at: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/centers/wiener/programs/pcj/files/integrated_healthcare_criminaljustice_data.pdf Year: 2018 Country: United States URL: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/centers/wiener/programs/pcj/files/integrated_healthcare_criminaljustice_data.pdf Shelf Number: 150062 Keywords: CollaborationHealth CarePartnershipsPublic HealthPublic Safety |
Author: European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control Title: Systematic review on the prevention and control of blood-borne viruses in prison settings Summary: Compared with the general public, people in prisons have a higher prevalence of infection with blood-borne viruses (BBVs) such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV). This is recognised as a major issue for the health of people in prisons, as well as the general population, because the majority of people who have been incarcerated will subsequently return to their communities. The objective of this report was to systematically review data on prevention and control of BBVs in prison settings, with a focus on the countries of the European Union (EU) and the European Economic Area (EEA). A systematic literature review was performed in PubMed and Embase from 1990 onwards and in Cochrane Library from 1980 onwards (search date 12 January 2017). No language or geographical limits were applied. In addition, the following sources were searched through a predefined website list search, including the websites of the main international organisations (last search date 8 May 2017) and a call for papers from experts (last call date 7 July 2017): conference abstracts (2010 or newer), unpublished research reports, protocols and guidelines (2005 or newer). A total of 66 primary articles were included from the peer-reviewed literature. In addition, 20 conference abstracts/unpublished research reports and 18 guidelines were identified from the grey literature. Five peer-reviewed articles (none from the EU/EEA) and one conference abstract were included covering BBV prevention through health promotion interventions, condom distribution and safe tattooing programmes in prison settings. A range of 11-28% of inmates used condoms through condom provision programmes, but not necessarily for sex, and 55-84% supported condom distribution. In a US study condom provision was considered to be costsaving, but concerns were raised over a possible increase in sexual activity, including non-consensual intercourse, and the inconsistent message of condom availability with the prohibition of sexual activities in prison. Safe tattooing in prison was shown to be acceptable for people in detention in one study, however no infection-related outcomes were reported to assess the effectiveness in reducing infection transmission. Two randomised controlled trials (RCTs) investigated a combination of health promotion and skills-building interventions, and showed conflicting results. Five additional peer-reviewed articles (two from the EU/EEA) and one conference abstract were included reporting prevention interventions targeting people who inject drugs (PWID) in prison settings. Two comparative studies on opioid substitution therapy (OST) found no difference in HIV and HCV seroconversions between the OST and control groups. Periods of imprisonment <2 months were significantly associated with increased risk of HCV seroconversion, and compared to community settings, OST dropout risk was higher in prison during short sentences (≤1 month) and lower during longer (>4 months) sentences. An OST programme in prison was no more costly than community-based programmes. HCV seroconversions were reported in one of the three studies on a needle and syringe programme (NSP) and were attributed to sharing of injection paraphernalia; no HIV or HBV seroconversions were reported. In a country-wide study, a reduction in HCV and HIV prevalence in the prison population over a period of more than 15 years was documented, which coincided with the introduction of a wide range of harm reduction measures in the community and prison, including a prison needle and syringe programme. However, prison staff and, to a lesser extent, people in detention, reported concerns about prison security following the distribution of sterile syringes and needles and were not persuaded of the need for such a measure. Provision of HIV treatment in prison settings was reported in sixteen peer-reviewed articles (seven from the EU/EEA) and five conference abstracts. Two comparative studies found no significant difference in adherence and viral suppression between self-administered therapy (SAT) and directly observed therapy (DOT), while one study showed a higher proportion of viral suppression among individuals receiving DOT for HIV. A sizeable proportion of patients voluntarily transitioning from SAT to DOT modality of treatment provision was registered in one study. In another, a significant increase in the likelihood of achieving viral suppression was found in a telemedicine group compared to conventional care. Overall, all studies reported sufficiently high ranges of treatment adherence and levels of viral suppression when treatment was provided in prison settings, and the proportion of HIV treatment acceptance among those eligible was reasonably high (73-80%). While no study was retrieved reporting on HBV treatment in prison settings, twenty-one peer-reviewed articles (seven from the EU/EEA), eleven conference abstracts and two unpublished research reports were included on HCV treatment. The majority of the included studies described provision of interferon-based regimens, and focussed on implementation modalities. Two comparative studies found no significant difference in treatment completion and sustained viral response (SVR) between SAT and DOT models of HCV care provision. Two economic evaluation studies from USA concurred that performing a liver biopsy before starting interferon-based treatment is likely to be more cost-effective approach than treating all patients. Two comparative studies found no significant difference between the main outcomes of HCV treatment completion and SVR in prison versus community, unless patients were released or transferred from prison while on treatment. Similarly, release or transfer was reported as a major predictor of treatment discontinuation in several studies. There have been rapid developments in the management of chronic HCV infection with a new generation of medications, called direct-acting antiviral drugs (DAAs), which are now used alone or in combination with PEG- Details: Stockholm: ECDP, 2018. 198p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 27, 2018 at: http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/system/files/publications/9193/ECDC-EMCDDA%20systematic%20review%20-%20prevention%20and%20control%20of%20BBV%20in%20prison%20settings.pdf Year: 2018 Country: Europe URL: http://www.emcdda.europa.eu/system/files/publications/9193/ECDC-EMCDDA%20systematic%20review%20-%20prevention%20and%20control%20of%20BBV%20in%20prison%20settings.pdf Shelf Number: 150949 Keywords: Correctional HealthHealth CareInmate HealthPrison Health |
Author: Hunter, Sarah B. Title: Local Evaluation Report for Los Angeles County's Mentally Ill Offender Crime Reduction (MIOCR) Program Summary: Recidivism is common among individuals who have been incarcerated in Los Angeles County, and the risks increase for those who suffer from mental health disorders and other health care conditions. To reduce the risk of recidivism and improve outcomes for individuals suffering from mental health disorders who are returning to the community after incarceration, California issues Mentally Ill Offender Crime Reduction [MIOCR] program grants to communities to address the unique needs of these individuals. In 2015, Los Angeles County was awarded a three-year grant to provide jail in-reach and reentry services to individuals experiencing tri-morbid conditions (i.e., physical health, mental health, and substance use disorders) who were preparing for reentry into the community. This report represents the evaluation of Los Angeles County's MIOCR grant program. Ninety-eight individuals were enrolled into one of the three different community reentry service pathways: (1) assistance for individuals with mental illness who can live independently in the community with additional support, (2) supportive housing coupled with intensive case management, or (3) residential substance use treatment. On average, participants who completed the one-year program maintained or improved their reported mental health and substance use status. Program graduates also demonstrated improvements in health care insurance status, benefit establishment, and housing stability. Data on criminal justice involvement show fewer convictions in the post-enrollment period than in the pre-enrollment period. However, 60 percent of program participants dropped out of the program before the one-year mark, and follow-up surveys with program dropouts were not conducted. Key Findings Results of Los Angeles County's Mentally Ill Offender Crime Reduction program Los Angeles County was successful in its goal to recruit 90 participants into the program: 98 participants were enrolled during the grant period. Program retention rates for the one-year program were modest: 30 participants completed the program and 45 dropped out. Twenty-three participants had not reached the one-year program mark at the time of grant end date. On average, participants who completed the one-year program maintained or improved their reported mental health and substance use status; demonstrated improvements in health care insurance status, benefit establishment, and housing stability; and had fewer convictions in the post-enrollment period than in the pre-enrollment period. Data on criminal justice involvement show fewer convictions in the post-enrollment period than in the pre-enrollment period. However, 60 percent of program participants dropped out of the program before the one-year mark, and follow-up surveys with program dropouts were not conducted. Details: Santa Monica, CA: RAND, 2018. 66p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 17, 2018 at: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR2411.html Year: 2018 Country: United States URL: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR2411.html Shelf Number: 151563 Keywords: Health CareMental Health Services Mentally Ill Offenders Recidivism Substance Abuse Treatment |
Author: Shaw, Stephen Title: Assessment of government progress in implementing the report on the welfare in detention of vulnerable persons: A follow-up report to the Home Office Summary: 1. This is the report of a review commissioned on behalf of the Home Secretary. Its focus has been upon the Government's response to my previous report (Review into the Welfare in Detention of Vulnerable Persons, Cm 9186, published in January 2016), and what impact this had had in practice. I have also looked in more detail at healthcare, caseworking, safer detention, oversight and staff culture, and alternatives to detention. 2. I have conducted the review with the assistance of five colleagues, three seconded from the Home Offce, one from the Cabinet Offce and one from the NHS. I have visited each of the immigration removal centres, along with other facilities, considered a range of written evidence and other material, and met with a wide range of offcials and stakeholders. 3. I asked Professor Mary Bosworth to conduct a literature survey to help inform my thinking on the use of alternatives to detention. 4. I co-hosted with Professor Bosworth a seminar on staff culture. To draw from experience in other walks of life, this brought together experts on the police, prisons, and the NHS, as well as Home Offce offcials and their contractors in immigration detention. 5. In Part 1 of the report, as well as detailing my terms of reference and the methodology I followed, I summarise themes emerging from the written evidence I received and from my meetings with offcials and stakeholders. 6. In Part 2, I look in more detail at the Government response to my earlier report. The majority of my recommendations were accepted and I outline where further reforms may be required. I also summarise what I found on my visits to immigration removal centres and elsewhere. 7. I record that there has been a reduction in the number of those detained for immigration purposes, and say that conditions in IRCs have generally improved from when I visited three years ago. But in some centres the Home Offce's strategy of expanding capacity by adding extra beds into existing rooms has exacerbated overcrowding, and created unacceptable conditions. 8. I indicate a need for a more joined-up approach between the Home Offce and its partners across Government. This applies particularly to the Ministry of Justice with its responsibilities for prisons and probation, and is especially relevant to time-served foreign national prisoners. 9. I examine the Adults at Risk (AAR) policy that was introduced by the Home Offce in response to my proposals to reduce the numbers of vulnerable people in detention. While it is not clear that AAR has yet made a signifcant difference to those numbers, it has engendered a genuine focus on vulnerability. The policy remains a work in progress and I have made recommendations to strengthen the protections it offers. 10. In Part 3, I present my impressions of healthcare in immigration removal centres. I say that much has been done by NHS England in partnership with the Home Offce, and by the healthcare contractors, and plans are in place to continue this process. I note that detainees' take-up of healthcare provision remains very high, and have made additional recommendations. 11. In Part 4, I look in more detail at caseworking. I examine the new policies and procedures introduced under the Home Offce's Detained Casework Transformation Programme and welcome many of these developments. However, I remain concerned that more needs to be done to ensure that individuals who are at risk are not detained, and suggest improvements to the new policies. I note that almost all of the safeguards against excessive use of detention introduced since my frst review are internal, and there remains a need for robust independent oversight. 12. In Part 5, I examine the way in which the Home Offce manages safer detention procedures against the background of a recent increase in the number of self-inficted deaths. By and large, the processes for managing those at risk of self-harm are being delivered appropriately, but more needs to be done to uncover the specifc vulnerabilities of those in immigration detention and to develop a strategy in the light of any fndings. 13. In Part 6, I give more detailed attention to oversight and staff culture, subjects of particular resonance given the BBC Panorama programme demonstrating grave misconduct on the part of a number of staff at Brook House. I consider issues of staff recruitment, retention, training and moral resilience, and have drawn upon lessons from other services. The systems for recruitment, training and whistle-blowing used by the individual contractors, and the processes for handling complaints and ensuring independent monitoring, are all satisfactory so far as they go. But manifestly they have not prevented abuses of the kind revealed by the BBC. I make suggestions to improve assurance processes and strengthen oversight. 14. Part 7 of my report focuses upon alternatives to detention. There remains limited evidence of the effectiveness (and cost-effectiveness) of those schemes that have been implemented across the globe. There are also diffcult issues to resolve as to how former detainees can be supported in light of policies introduced in the Immigration Act 2016. Nonetheless, I have made specifc proposals for how the Home Offce can take forward the alternatives to detention agenda. 15. I then list the specific recommendations from this follow-up review. Details: London: Home Office, 2018. 264p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 18, 2018 at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/728376/Shaw_report_2018_Final_web_accessible.pdf Year: 2018 Country: United Kingdom URL: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/728376/Shaw_report_2018_Final_web_accessible.pdf Shelf Number: 151577 Keywords: Alternatives to Incarceration Correctional Healthcare Foreign Prisoners Health CareImmigrant Detention Immigration Undocumented Immigrants |
Author: Dubois, Christophe Title: Organization Models of Health Care Services in Prisons in Four Countries Summary: This chapter aims "to identify and analyse the organization models of health care services in prisons in four selected foreign countries likely to inspire the reform of the health care system in Belgian prisons." The four foreign countries: France, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Scotland have been selected on basis of the following criteria: -- Feasibility (in the allocated period of time): -- The official and grey literature is abundant and accessible; -- The literature is written in language that is accessible to the researchers (English, French, or Dutch); -- The researchers can rely on pre-existing networks; - Relevance: -- The four selected countries offer good practices in organisation of healthcare in prisons (see here-under); -- The selected countries are usually considered as sources of inspiration for Belgian policy makers, especially France and the Netherlands; -- Diversity: -- The preliminary search showed that the selected countries provide different interesting scenarios for Belgium. With respect to the subject matter of the transfer of prison health care to the Ministry of Health, France and Scotland present two different and interesting cases of transfer. France has a comparatively long - since 1994 - history of prison health under the authority of the Ministry of Health. Health care in each prison is provided on the basis of an agreed protocol with the nearest public hospital. Scotland's reform is much more recent (2011) but fully integrated under the rule of the NHS and its regional boards. Due to the organisation of its federated system, Switzerland can be seen as a laboratory of different configurations of reform/conservation of the present organisation of healthcare services in prisons. The Netherlands's choice to maintain the organisation of healthcare under the rule of the Prison Service (Dienst Justitiele Inrichtingen) and to organise a medical service in every prison provides an interesting counterpoint to the other cases.... Details: Brussels: Belgian Health Care Knowledge Centre (KCE). 2017. 172p. Source: Internet Resource: KCE REPORT 293 :Accessed February 27, 2018 at: https://kce.fgov.be/sites/default/files/atoms/files/KCE_293_Prisons_health_care_Chapter_4.pdf Year: 2017 Country: Europe URL: https://kce.fgov.be/sites/default/files/atoms/files/KCE_293_Prisons_health_care_Chapter_4.pdf Shelf Number: 154784 Keywords: Correctional HealthHealth CareHealth ServicesInmate HealthPrison Health |
Author: Guyer, Jocelyn Title: State Strategies for Establishing Connections to Health Care for Justice-Involved Populations: The Central Role of Medicaid Summary: Issue: With many states expanding Medicaid eligibility, individuals leaving jail or prison are now often able to enroll in health coverage upon release. It is increasingly clear, however, that coverage alone is insufficient to address the often complex health and social needs of people who cycle between costly hospital and jail stays. Goals: To identify emerging trends in the care delivery models that state Medicaid programs use for former inmates. Methods: Literature review and interviews with state officials, plans, and providers. Key Findings: The care delivery models for individuals leaving jail or prison provide comprehensive primary care, typically including: data exchange to ensure providers are notified when someone is leaving jail or prison; "in-reach" to help inmates establish a relationship with a primary care provider prior to release, identify health conditions, and set up community-based care; strategies for addressing housing issues and other social determinants of health; use of a peer-support specialist who has experienced incarceration; and specialized training for primary care providers and specialists who work with the formerly incarcerated. Conclusion: With a foundation of insurance coverage, states have developed a range of promising, replicable approaches to providing care to people leaving jail or prison. Details: New York: Commonwealth Fund, 2019. 12p. Source: Internet Resource: Issue Brief: Accessed March 18, 2019 at: https://www.commonwealthfund.org/sites/default/files/2019-01/Guyer_state_strategies_justice_involved_Medicaid_ib_v2.pdf Year: 2019 Country: United States URL: https://www.commonwealthfund.org/sites/default/files/2019-01/Guyer_state_strategies_justice_involved_Medicaid_ib_v2.pdf Shelf Number: 155011 Keywords: Correctional Health CareHealth CareMedicaidMedical Care |