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In 2017, British Columbia (BC) transferred responsibility for healthcare services in provincial correctional facilities from the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General to the Ministry of Health. This study explored how healthcare leadership perceived the impact of the transfer on services, work-life, and job satisfaction. We conducted one-on-one interviews (n = 8) with healthcare managers and medical and administrative leadership within Correctional Health Services. Using the Two-Factor theory of job satisfaction as a framework, we applied Interpretive Description methodology to analyse interview data. Participants identified changes to four areas of the working environment: (1) staffing, equipment, and resources (2) systems of supervision and support (3) standards, policies, and quality improvement and (4) culture and orientation. These changes predominantly affected motivational factors of job satisfaction and were described as enriching the roles of managers and staff. Participants described improved autonomy and recognition of providers, increased quality of services delivered, and a shift toward patient-centred care. The perspectives of healthcare leaders provide new insight into the potential impact of transferring healthcare services in custody to a public healthcare system. Discussion of changes and their affects also provide practical learning for jurisdictions seeking to improve healthcare under a variety of governance and service-delivery models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article highlights the importance of point-of-care testing for hepatitis C virus (HCV) ribonucleic acid (RNA) as a vital step towards achieving elimination goals. Topics discussed include the effectiveness of combined point-of-care antibody and HCV RNA testing in improving testing and treatment rates, the implementation of successful testing programs in diverse settings, and the necessity for research and investment in testing strategies for enhanced accessibility.

Since 2015, women's prisons across England have been working toward providing trauma-informed care (TIC) given the high rates of psychological trauma in the prison population. Research into TIC in prisons has been limited to date. This qualitative study explored the perceptions of 35 prison officers from two English women's prisons about their experiences of providing TIC, including the role of training. Four main themes were identified using thematic analysis: Creating trauma-informed settings was noted as a dynamic process, complicated by prisons being triggering environments for women. Prison officers described attempting to negotiate the power (im)balance between them and women in prison, to allow them to nurture positive relationships with them. Operational practices reportedly regularly undermined these efforts by reinforcing the power differential. Staff also observed variable and limited capacity and opportunities for TIC, further reducing the ability to create settings conducive to TIC. These findings have important implications for women's prisons, including the need to review and revise TIC training for new and existing staff; prioritize staff well-being and support, and improve recruitment processes to develop a staff group with the aptitude and skill to deliver TIC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior research in the Santa Clara County (SCC) Jail showed that knowledge of hepatitis C virus (HCV), perception of risk, and perceived coercion impacted participation in routine HCV screening; however, the experiences of patients undergoing screening were not assessed. The purpose of the study was to understand patient perceptions of undergoing routine viral hepatitis screening and receiving a diagnosis of HCV while incarcerated. A qualitative design was employed using semi-structured interviews of individuals newly diagnosed with HCV via routine screening in the SCC Jail between March and November 2023. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Of the 15 participants, most were within the 35 to 44 (47%) and 25 to 34 (40%) age ranges, were White or Caucasian (47%), and all were male. Nine themes emerged: (1) risk perception as a motivator for testing, (2) testing convenience to maintain health, (3) minimal to no prior testing experience, (4) mixed experiences testing in the jail, (5) negative to neutral reactions to HCV diagnosis, (6) intrinsic motivation to get treated, (7) basic HCV knowledge after diagnosis, (8) seamless treatment experience in the jail, and (9) barriers to continuing care upon release. The HCV screening process, including disclosure, education, and treatment initiation, was positively received among participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal was to study the implementation of rapid BINAX COVID-19 testing at criminal justice reentry sites, focusing on framework-guided implementation outcomes. We implemented rapid COVID-19 testing at nine reentry sites in four states (Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and New York) and collected test results to measure the (1) adoptability and (2) implementability of COVID-19 testing at reentry sites. We collected data on the acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility of the implementation of COVID-19 testing using an anonymous employee Qualtrics survey. Testing was available to symptomatic and exposed residents and employees. COVID-19 testing results were collected from October 2021 to March 2022. Guided by the Expert Recommendations in Implementing Change (ERIC) framework, we chose nine implementation strategies to address barriers during the implementation process. Acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility outcomes were captured from employees using validated measures. A total of 302 BINAX COVID-19 tests were used and 26 positive cases were identified. Forty-seven percent of employees participated in the survey. More than half of respondents either agreed or completely agreed with statements about the acceptability, appropriateness, or feasibility of COVID-19 testing. Funding and attention toward COVID-19 testing at reentry sites should be provided to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in these sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Social medicine seeks to incorporate patients’ social contexts into their medical care. Emergency physicians are uniquely positioned to address social determinants of health (SDoH) on the frontlines of the healthcare system. Miami-Dade County (MDC) is a diverse and socially vulnerable area. In 2020, the University of Miami-Jackson Health System (UM-JHS) emergency medicine (EM) residency program launched a multimodal, resident-led Social EM program to identify and address SDoH in the emergency department (ED). Methods: We use a four-pillar approach to SDoH in the ED: Curriculum Integration; Community Outreach; Access to Care; and Social Justice. Residents graduate with a knowledge of Social EM principles through an 18-month curriculum, an elective, and a longitudinal track. We developed sustainable initiatives through interdepartmental and community-based partnerships, including a Narcan distribution initiative, an ED-based program linking uninsured patients to follow-up care, a human trafficking education initiative, and a quality improvement initiative for incarcerated patients. Results: Given that the 18-month curriculum was launched in 2022, a full rotation of the curriculum had not been completed as of this writing, and data collection and analysis is an ongoing process. The initial pretest and post-test survey data show improvement in knowledge and confidence in managing Social EM topics. The Narcan initiative has screened 1,188 patients, of whom 144 have received Narcan. The ED-based patient navigation program has enrolled 31 patients to date, 18 of whom obtained outpatient care. Analysis of the impact/effectiveness of the program’s other initiatives is ongoing. Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is one of the most robust social EM programs to date, as many other programs primarily focus on service opportunities. Rooted in the revised principles of Bloom’s taxonomy of cognitive learning, this program moves beyond understanding Social EM tenets to generating solutions to address SDoH in and outside the ED. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prison has been described as the ultimate form of time-punishment – a place where time is no longer a commodity for individuals to spend, but is ordered by a system which symbolises its power through the control of segments of people's lives. As such, a prison sentence epitomises the experience of waiting. Yet anticipating release is not the only form of waiting within carceral life; waiting for healthcare in its various forms also shapes people's temporal experience. Drawing on interviews with 21 people who have lived in prison, this article describes how experiences of waiting for healthcare are mediated by expectation or hope, perceptions of the relationship between behaviour and healthcare access, and the consequences of waiting for care. Constraints on the autonomy of people in prison mean that waiting for healthcare differs in important ways from waiting for healthcare in the community, and can be perceived as an additional form of punishment. The experience of waiting for prison healthcare can affect physical and psychological well-being, and can in itself be understood as a pain of imprisonment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A person-centered approach to advance care planning is recognized as a fundamental need, yet its routine implementation remains a challenge across disparate settings, such as prisons. The purpose of this study was to gain the perspectives of people who are incarcerated about advance care planning. Four focus groups were conducted with people living in 1 men's and 1 women's state prison (n = 26). Handwritten field notes were taken, transcribed, deidentified, and verified before the completion of independent thematic analysis by 2 experienced qualitative researchers. Key themes regarding advance care planning were identified: components of advance care planning, initiation and continuation of advance care planning, barriers to implementing advance care planning, and facilitators to implementing advance care planning. Participants noted several key components related to the name, structure, and content of advance care planning programs. Insights about who should initiate the conversation, when to continue the conversation, and how to deliver education about advance care planning were obtained. Findings contribute to identifying best practices for infusing advance care planning into prisons. Best practices will inform the development of a toolkit of contextually relevant, person-centered approaches to advance care planning that are tailored to meet the unique needs of people who are incarcerated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the court case Rokita v. Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, wherein the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania ruled in favor of the inmate's claim of relief for Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT). It provides a background of MAT, filing claims and alleged violations of rights under the Eighth Amendment and the Americans With Disabilities Act. It reviews the dissenting opinion regarding the use of MAT in the prison system.

Adam, a justice-involved young man, was brought into the emergency department at the county hospital in cardiogenic shock due to a recurring episode of injection-drug-use-related infective endocarditis (IDU-IE). Adam had initiated injection opioid use in prison. He was surgically treated for the previous episodes of IDU-IE but was unable to fully recover due to limitations in care within penal medicine. This case report explores the prison as a determinant of health, interactions between clinical, welfare, and penal medicine, to produce and maintain health inequities, and structural drivers of physician moral injury through an interview with Adam and reflexive writings from emergency medicine physicians. This case demonstrates the need for three types of structural health interventions: (1) restorative justice, community-based reentry programs, and housing as welfare medicine, (2) increased harm reduction services across healthcare, especially penal medicine, and (3) equitable institutional protocols (contrary to ambiguous guidelines) to treat clinical conditions like IDU-IE that disproportionately impact structurally vulnerable patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People are sent to prison as punishment and not to experience additional punishment. Nevertheless, this principle is habitually violated in Australia: prisoners frequently receive health care that is inferior to health care that is available in the general community. Numerous official inquiries have identified deficiencies in prisoner health services, notwithstanding the apparent intention of legislative provisions and non-statutory guidelines and policies in various jurisdictions to ensure prisoners receive appropriate health care. This article proposes law reforms to address this human rights crisis. It recommends the passage of uniform legislation in all Australian jurisdictions that stipulates minimum prison health care service standards, as well as mechanisms for ensuring they are implemented. The article also suggests that, in the short-term, until prison health care is significantly improved, substandard health care for prisoners should be treated as a potentially mitigating sentencing factor that can reduce the length of a defendant's prison term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People experiencing incarceration (PEI) have poorer COVID-19 clinical outcomes compared with the general population. Many interventions were implemented in incarceration facilities to mitigate the burden of COVID-19. This systematic review seeks to analyze the effectiveness of these interventions. Twenty-two studies were included. Reduction of the incarcerated population/interfacility transfers, cohorting of new and infectious incarcerated people, mass asymptomatic testing (despite often low uptake), hygiene measures, and prioritization of PEI in vaccine policy had some evidence of effectiveness at reducing transmission and risk of COVID-19 in incarceration facilities. Visitation suspension had conflicting evidence of effectiveness. Studies were of low or medium quality. Inadequate control of confounding variables limited the reliability and validity of conclusions drawn. Many studies relied on retrospective, third-party data. Higher quality research is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Morisenuola Ladele, Chief Nurse Fellow, Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (Morisenuola.ladele1@nhs.net), was the Gold Award winner in the Nurse of the Year category in the BJN Awards 2024 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the impact of a specialized program aimed at improving substance use disorder and trauma treatment, recovery, and reentry services for adult female offenders. Trained recovery coaches delivered pretreatment interventions such as prescreening, motivational interviewing, and support-building to facilitate treatment entry and improve outcomes. Of 113 participants, 40% identified as racial/ethnic minorities, and 72% fell within the 25–45 age range. A notable 44.5% reduction in self-reported psychiatric symptoms was observed, alongside significant improvements in abstinence and trauma symptoms. Recovery capital and psychosocial functioning showed marked improvement including significant changes in employment status and housing stability and a decrease in criminal justice involvement. The results suggest that targeted, client-centered approaches can effectively improve recovery and psychosocial functioning among female offenders while reducing re-incarceration rates. These findings underscore the importance of addressing the unique needs of this population in both pre-and post-release settings to ensure equitable access to reentry services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Serious mental illness (SMI) is more common among adults in correctional settings than in the general population. No standard exists for SMI screening across correctional settings; SMI therefore often goes undetected in these facilities. Placing individuals with unidentified SMI who are incarcerated in general population cells increases their risk for self-harming behaviors, suicide, and for being victims or perpetrators of exploitation and violence. Methods: This article describes a quantitative, descriptive study conducted to evaluate the use of the Brief Jail Mental Health Screen (BJMHS) tool to screen for possible SMI among individuals in a jail setting. Results: A total of 89 individuals who were incarcerated in one jail setting were screened either with the facility's internally developed standard medical questionnaire (SMQ) or with the BJMHS. Findings showed that 28% screened positive for possible SMI using the BJMHS as compared with only 3% using the SMQ. Conclusion: The BJMHS flagged a higher number of possible instances of SMI than the jail's SMQ, potentially signifying its screening superiority. Identification of SMI leads to better care for individuals who are incarcerated, and it increases safety for the individual with SMI, the greater jail population, and jail staff. Findings from this study were shared with system leadership, which has replaced other screening tools with the BJMHS in at least 250 correctional facilities throughout the US. Serious mental illness (SMI) is more common among adults in correctional settings than in the general population. No standard exists for SMI screening across correctional settings; SMI therefore often goes undetected in these facilities. This article describes a quantitative, descriptive study conducted to evaluate the use of the Brief Jail Mental Health Screen (BJMHS) tool to screen for possible SMI among individuals in a jail setting as compared with the facility's internally developed standard medical questionnaire (SMQ). Findings showed that more participants screened positive for possible SMI with the BJMHS than with the SMQ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to examine timebound prison healthcare governance amendments and current structures in Europe two decades after the World Health Organization (WHO) Declaration on Prison Health as part of Public Health adopted in Moscow on 24 October 2003 (Moscow Declaration), which recommended prison health care be closely linked with public health systems to ensure quality prison health care, connected health surveillance, and continuity of care. We present here a regional evolutionary mapping of the Council of Europe Member State transfer of prison healthcare governance to the auspices of the Ministry of Health. The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture database and WHO Regional Office for Europe Health In Prison European Database were scrutinised for Council of Europe (CoE) Member State status regarding the Ministry responsible for prison healthcare governance and if this had changed since the adoption of the Moscow Declaration in 2003. As of October 2023, completed transfer of governance to the Ministry of Health nationally is documented in 13 CoE Member States and in one CoE Member State candidate (Kosovo). Partial transfer is documented in Spain (Catalonia and Basque Autonomous Community) and Switzerland (cantons of Geneva , Valais , Vaud , Neuchatel , and Basel-Stadt). Three CoE Member States operate joint governance of prison health care between Ministries (Malta, Portugal, Türkiye). Transfer is a lengthy process (up to 10 years). Successful transition requires political commitment, cooperation, needs assessment, resourcing, and evaluation. Monitoring of cost and prison healthcare standards, due process for complaints, and cooperation with independent/Committee against Torture inspections is critical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Empathy has been highlighted as a key concept in chaplaincy care, but its meaning has hardly been explored in depth within this field. This study aims to help develop stronger conceptual clarity by investigating humanist chaplains' conceptualizations of empathy. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with twenty humanist chaplains working in health care, military, and prisons. A qualitative design was employed to clarify which components and features constitute empathy in humanist chaplaincy care. Empathy emerges as a multidimensional concept that is "fundamentally human." Chaplains distinguish between true and pseudo empathy based on different features including authenticity and concern. This article provides a conceptual model that combines the different components and features of empathy in humanist chaplaincy care and the relationship between them in light of empathy's humanizing quality. It may be used for educational purposes and could function as a conceptual framework for future research efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite existing international standards for the prison management of incarcerated trans people, carceral policies across Australian jurisdictions vary in their availability, breadth, and appropriateness. Trans populations in prison represent a vulnerable population, having specific needs surrounding their health, safety, and wellbeing. Prior reviews into Australian carceral policies highlight where contemporary prison practices fall short of meeting those specific needs. Aims/method: A review was conducted on the available carceral policy documents of each Australian correctional service regime, examining their coverage of issues including healthcare access, placement decisions, and classification systems against international standards and prior Australian recommendations. Forty-one relevant policy documents were reviewed against eighteen benchmark recommendations, along with supplementary data. Results: Australian jurisdictions varied widely on the coverage of the reviewed areas. Benchmark attainment ranged from twelve out of eighteen (Victoria and Western Australia) to three out of eighteen (Queensland). The use of administrative segregation was identified as the area in most need of policy reform. No jurisdiction met every benchmark. Conclusions: This review highlights the need for carceral policy reform across Australian jurisdictions in order to meet the unique needs of incarcerated trans people, especially in the areas of administrative segregation and healthcare access. The review also highlights the need for carceral policy reform to bring Australian jurisdictions in line with each other on the management of incarcerated trans people, to reduce disparate outcomes across states and territories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adequate nutritional intake during pregnancy is critical to infant health and development. People with the capacity for pregnancy who are incarcerated have limited control over their diets and rely on prisons and jails to meet their nutritional needs. This study examined state and federal statutes pertaining to nutrition care for pregnant people while incarcerated. Following a systematic search and review, we identified four qualitative codes relating to access to vitamins, supplemental food, additional hydration, and prenatal nutrition education. Summaries of state and federal statutes pertaining to nutrition were developed and compared with current prenatal nutrition recommendations. Less than a third of states had nutrition-related mandates and no states had statutes that included all key nutrition recommendations. No federal statutes addressed nutrition during pregnancy. Additionally, our review found no provisions for enforcement of the limited nutritional statutes that do exist. To mitigate adverse health consequences for pregnant people and their fetuses, policymakers should enact or amend legislation to align nutrition standards in all prisons and jails with national policy recommendations and provide mechanisms to oversee compliance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Retributive justice is the preferred penal theory in many countries, especially for serious offences, and is a predominant justification for imprisonment. Retributivists, however, have little to say regarding the state's role towards returning citizens after release from prison. In reality, paroled individuals struggle with continuing surveillance, poverty, stigma and other significant barriers to housing, employment and health. Thus, rates of recidivism are high. Re-entry services can help, but they are few. Without a proper understanding of the implications of the retributive model, advocates for re-entry services struggle to gain public support or the attention of policy-makers. Recognising that retributivism is not a monolithic theory, and with a focus on the parole period, we argue that key sub-streams of retributivism offer a valuable support for understanding public responsibility for re-entry services. To that end, we offer a conceptual understanding of the core retributive principles that call upon governments to actively assist parolees. We do so by connecting re-entry to the retributive notions of unfair advantage, penal communication and moral reform. Finally, we emphasise two, often neglected, re-entry programmes that fit the core retributive principles and highlight implications for the parole process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to identify novel ways of tackling health inequalities of underserved populations. It explores the opportunities presented by the changes in health and social care legislation to employ historically underused services, such as police custody healthcare providers, in addressing health inequalities. Design/methodology/approach: This research analyses the policy approaches to tackling health inequalities in the UK in the past 40 years with an emphasis on those experienced by the people detained in English police custodies. It analyses the current model of healthcare in police custody and proposes a novel integrated model of care and joint commissioning opportunities in funding it. Findings: Policies to tackle health inequalities have largely failed, as they became entrenched. But recent changes in the health and social care legislation in England offer opportunities to address them by employing historically underused healthcare services, such as those operating in police custodies. Research limitations/implications: The research does not touch upon ethical considerations related to the patient privacy aspect of integrated care. Interventions by and interactions with police custody healthcare providers would be visible to all professionals with access to the patient's health record. As with all novel interventions or innovative models of care, the effectiveness of such clinical interventions remains to be established by further research. It opens a new line of research on quality improvement through integration of care and explores understudied aspects of joint commissioning of integrated care. Practical implications: It offers health commissioners and public health leaders the opportunity to employ police custody healthcare services in reaching their population health management objectives and meeting their health inequalities objectives at local level. It also gives police and crime commissioners the opportunity to address the health drivers of criminal behaviour that overlap with health inequalities. It offers funding opportunities presented by jointly commissioning services at lower costs to both police and health commissioners alike. It improves the health outcomes of historically underserved populations by facilitating access to health and social care services and facilities. Social implications: Reducing health inequalities and disparities in health outcomes can decrease the costs of the healthcare services over the long term and might contribute to reducing criminality by addressing inequities and some health drivers of criminal behaviour. Originality/value: The paper explores understudied opportunities offered by the recent changes in health and social care legislation in England and includes underused resources to tackle health inequalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Précis: Despite significant scholarship, research, and funding dedicated to implementing criminal diversion programs over the past two decades, persons with serious mental illness and substance use disorders remain substantially overrepresented in United States jails and prisons. Why are so many U.S. adults with behavioral health problems incarcerated instead of receiving treatment and other support to recover in the community? In this paper, we explore this persistent problem within the context of "relentless unmet need" in U.S. behavioral health (Alegría et al., 2021). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prescribers in prisons and other secure settings play a key role in supporting the well‐being of prisoners. As part of our series on medicines optimisation in people with additional needs, this article discusses the issues healthcare professionals should consider to ensure safe, optimised prescribing for people who are imprisoned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder are prevalent in prison settings. Both often go undetected and untreated, while prisoners who already suffered previous trauma may be re-traumatised upon imprisonment. The current study aimed to conduct a national survey of all Welsh prisons to gather information about existing services and treatments for traumatic stress. The survey identified variation within Welsh prisons with regard to NICE-recommended evidence-based therapies. It is therefore recommended that there needs to be development of a pathway of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in the prison system which should be achieved through a consensus process of both frontline staff and experts in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article critiques discriminatory practices in correctional facilities regarding medication for opioid use disorder (OUD), advocating for equitable treatment and moderation in delivering care within the criminal justice system.

Background: The prison population presents complex health needs and is disproportionately affected by poor health, compared to the general population. Diet has a clear role in prisoner health, and the prison food environment within which food choices are made is relatively under–researched. The aim of this study was to examine whether food choices in a women's prison changed after the introduction of a new menu design by the catering team. Methods: The adjusted menu design incorporated an emoticon (a smiley face) placed next to designated 'Healthy Choice' foods on the menu sheets, which were used to preselect meals. Data comprised all women's (n = 865) food choices (more than 115,000 selections) for a period of 8 weeks (with the new menu) as well as 8 weeks prior (baseline period). The study design was a pre‐post intervention study, and food selection was examined using chi‐square tests and binary logistic regression models. Results: The selection of promoted foods overall significantly increased under the new menu design (with the emoticon nudge strategy) compared to baseline; the effect size, however, was small according to the usual guidelines (21.4% compared to 20% at baseline; χ2(1) = 32.6, p < 0.001, φ = 0.02). Individuals were 11% more likely (p < 0.001) to select the promoted 'Healthy Choice' foods under the adjusted food choice architecture. A significant effect was found for lunch and evening meal – but not for desserts. A minority of individual food items that were promoted had significant positive changes in selection, and were 1.3–4 times as likely to be selected when emoticons had been introduced, compared to baseline. Conclusions: Further research is needed to examine the potential added benefit of multiple complementary nudge strategies, and the relevance of the preselection of foods in advance of consumption. Key points: Food choice changed with the introduction of an emoticon to the menu sheets in a prison.The emoticon was placed next to 'Healthy Choice' foods, and overall selection of these foods increased, but with a small effect size.Future research should investigate the introduction of further changes to the menu and the effectiveness of multiple versus single nudge strategies to promote 'Healthy Choice' foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study examined predictors of mental health treatment among Black men while incarcerated. Participants were 76 individuals who identified as Black Americans and were recruited from a correctional setting. Using secondary data analysis (Shaw, L. B., & Morgan, R. D. (2011). Inmate attitudes toward treatment: Mental health service utilization and treatment effects. Law and Human Behavior, 35(4), 249–261. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10979-010-9233-5.), results indicated that Black men with a mental health diagnosis were more likely than those without a diagnosis to report receiving mental health treatment while incarcerated. Additionally, linear regression analyses indicated that only expectations about treatment (i.e., personal commitment; not therapy fears or history of mental health diagnosis) significantly predicted the current use of mental health treatment. Implications for research and practice are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The number of incarcerated pregnant women is increasing globally. With many having complex health and social backgrounds, incarceration provides opportunities for health interventions, including the chance to have their nutritional needs met. Despite the additional nutritional requirements of pregnancy being well documented, how these are being met within the correctional setting is currently poorly understood. Methods: A scoping review of the literature was conducted to identify the literature published between January 2010 and April 2023 related to the provision of nutrition for pregnant women in the international prison systems. Sixteen papers met the criteria for inclusion in the review. The relevant key findings were charted and thematically analysed. Results: Two themes were identified: 'the inconsistent reality of food provision' and 'choice, autonomy and food'. There is a clear disparity in the way in which diet is prioritised and provided to pregnant incarcerated women across several countries. Discussion: The findings highlight the need for a consistent approach to diet on a macro, global level to ensure the health of women and their infants in context. Significance: What is Already Known on This Subject?: Whilst the additional nutritional requirements of pregnant women are well known, how these translate into the correctional setting is unknown. What this Study Adds?: This scoping review provides a synthesis of the literature related to the provision of diet for incarcerated pregnant women. The findings highlight that prisons housing pregnant and breastfeeding women should ensure that evidence-based policies exist and are enforced to ensure an appropriate diet is provided. Furthermore, flexible access to water and additional snacks between meals should be ensured to meet the women's evolving nutritional needs across the childbearing continuum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Since prisons were an epicenter of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the experience of correctional health care professionals (HCPs) may differ from HCPs in other settings. This cross-sectional descriptive study assessed stress, anxiety, and burnout levels in home and work environments among HCPs employed by one U.S. state prison system during the period of initial COVID-19 vaccine rollout. Participants (N = 444) were invited to voluntarily participate in an anonymous questionnaire distributed by prison administration from March 1 through May 17, 2021. Measures were adapted from a prior study of noncorrectional HCPs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Descriptive statistics (mean; standard deviation; 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles), ranking measures that could alleviate anxiety and stress related to the pandemic, and qualitative responses were analyzed. Responses from 43% of HCPs (192) revealed that correctional HCPs experienced high levels of stress and anxiety at work and at home during the pandemic, with particularly high levels among females and registered nurses. Understanding and addressing these stressors will be of critical importance as prison systems work to avoid turnover of experienced HCPs in such specialized settings and also help inform human resource planning at state prison systems for future public health responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carceral power expands into many institutions vital to social life. This Article focuses on one such important institution: the hospital in the free world. Hospitals outside of carceral institutions routinely treat, diagnose, screen, and discharge people under law enforcement and correctional control. Just as hospitals serve an important function for society as a whole, hospitals are indispensable to the United States's system of policing and incarceration. Hospitals take up the slack for inadequate correctional health care by treating injured or sick people in police custody and provide critical support in criminal investigations and incarceration. The use of hospitals by police and correctional institutions, however, is more than incidental or situational. The Article argues that hospitals have become part of the infrastructure of mass incarceration. Despite popular conceptions of the hospital as a place of care, this Article posits that hospitals perform functions essential to the operations of mass incarceration by identifying criminals, helping build criminal cases, preparing people for incarceration, and certifying that arrested and incarcerated people are fit for imprisonment. Law enforcement and correctional actors alter the complex, structured, and regulated hospital workplace through their immense formal and informal powers. Their rules and norms on security, isolation, and control trump hospital regulations, practices, and ethics on patient privacy, autonomy, and dignity. This Article articulates this deference to and incorporation of carceral rules and practices as an expansion of the modalities of policing and custodial practices. Further evidence of hospitals inclusion in carceral infrastructure can be seen in how hospitals perpetuate problems of mass incarceration, such as racial and class-based subordination and loyalty to carceral logic of "public safety." Highlighting the role of hospitals in mass incarceration is particularly important now when public health and care-based institutions and solutions are offered as alternatives to incarceration and policing, and abortion criminalization brings further attention to the intersection of law enforcement and health care. Close scrutiny of this intersection is also important not just to expose the problems, but because the indispensability of hospitals presents us with an opportunity. The exposure of correctional and law enforcement practices to the outside world through hospitals breaches the divide between the too-often unaccountable correctional environments. These outside institutions therefore have an opportunity to reimagine a different kind of patient prisoner care. The Article concludes by proposing ways to do so through institutional, regulatory, and doctrinal measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article about women's prison-based health care reports quantitative findings from surveying 206 female prisoners and qualitative findings from 45 female prisoners interviewed in one prison in Kansas and three prisons in Ohio. Respondents expressed concerns about the availability of quality prison health care and the timeliness of attention to requests for assistance. Additionally, respondents identified administrative barriers to receiving quality health care within each state. The detrimental consequences of receiving inadequate care are poignantly described by some women. Suggestions are offered for improving the overall quality of prison health care for women and modifying procedures for obtaining such care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nurses working in correctional and forensic mental health settings face unique challenges in the provision of care to patients within custodial settings. The subjectivities of both patients and nurses are subject to the power relations, discourses and abjection encountered within these practice milieus. Using a poststructuralist approach using the work of Foucault, Kristeva, and Deleuze and Guattari, this paper explores how both patient and nurse subjectivities are produced within the carceral logic of this apparatus of capture. Recognizing that subjectivities are fluid and dynamic, and capable of change, Deleuze and Guattari's concept of deterritorialization will illustrate opportunities for resistance, where nurses can begin to practice outside the dominant carceral logic (and restrictions) of the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is no uniformity amongst the circuits when it comes to pretrial detainees claims for inadequate medical care. The circuits are currently grappling with this problem, applying two separate tests to pretrial detainees' 42 U.S.C. § 1983 claims depending on the jurisdiction in which the incident arose. The test that should be applied across all circuits is one of objective reasonableness. However, some circuits do not see it that way, applying the deliberate indifference standard, also known as the subjective standard test. The circuits applying the subjective standard are relying on case law that does not properly analyze the rights of pretrial detainees. These circuits are under the impression that pretrial detainees have the same rights as convicted individuals, which is not the case, as pretrial detainees in fact have greater protections under the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution. The subjective standard falls short of protecting pretrial detainees and deprives them of rights derived under the Fourteenth Amendment, as the subjective standard stems from the Eighth Amendment, which is inapplicable to pretrial detainees as these individuals have yet to be convicted. The Supreme Court had the opportunity to resolve this issue but declined to do so. The Supreme Court should resolve this issue by applying the objective test to pretrial detainees' inadequate medical care claims brought under § 1983, which would not impede or diminish the rights of pretrial detainees that are guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service uses age 50 to describe 'old age' in prisons, with the average age of people dying in prison being 56 compared with 81 in the general population. Patients in custody are a uniquely vulnerable population with a disproportionately high burden of disease and an increased mortality rate compared with the wider UK population. Prison nurses manage a diverse and complex range of wound presentations, from acute trauma, self-harm wounds, complex burns, and chronic disease, requiring a range of wound care interventions, with one of the most challenging wound types being leg ulceration. A wound care strategy was developed to provide overarching support, to improve access to training, while developing the knowledge and skills to ensure safe practice. Furthermore we wanted to develop a cohort of passionate nurses with a specific interest in tissue viability who would maintain the wounds agenda, transform wound management, and more importantly, enhance timely wound healing for this vulnerable patient population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An editorial is presented which expresses the views on the increasing number of incarcerated women and the challenges they face, particularly pregnant women, in accessing appropriate maternity care and support. Topics include the disproportionate disadvantage faced by pregnant women in prison, ethical dilemmas surrounding their incarceration, and initiatives aimed at improving maternity care for incarcerated women through international collaboration.

The number of older adults incarcerated in prisons is growing significantly, and there is a great need for legal authority, processes, and resources to mitigate individual and social burdens of elder neglect and abuse within these settings. Older adults in prison may be particularly vulnerable to abuse, neglect, or exploitation. They are dependent on the carceral system for basic resources, are at risk for retaliatory actions for reporting mistreatment, and bear disproportionately high health burdens. This essay first considers standards and resources for mitigating elder mistreatment in the community and residential‐care settings in contrast to the available resources in prisons. Arguing that a conceptual model of elder abuse tailored to the prison population is needed, the essay proposes a research agenda through which such a model could be developed. The model could then be used in the creation of policy for detecting and mitigating elder mistreatment of incarcerated people. The essay concludes with a call to action to address the rift in legal protections and processes that leave older adults in prison at increased risk of abuse and neglect without a clear pathway for recourse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Despite the scale, inequity, and consequences of mass incarceration, health care provider knowledge and awareness on correctional health remain limited. Understanding the educational experiences of health professions learners and the studies used to evaluate them can provide useful information about current gaps to guide future curricular improvement. To address this need, we conducted a scoping review of peer-reviewed studies examining United States-based academic health professions educational programs on correctional health. Studies were coded based on study characteristics, learner outcomes, and degree to which they contained elements described in relevant position statements by two professional medical associations. Overall, 27 articles (1975–2021) were included. Learner outcomes were primarily documented at the "reactions" (93%) and "learning" (52%) levels of the Kirkpatrick model (1979), relative to "behaviors" (11%) and "long-term outcomes" (0%). Comparison of curricula to select position statements revealed multiple content gaps in the realms of prevalent conditions requiring expertise (e.g., violence and self-harm); ethical and medical–legal considerations (e.g., privatization of correctional health care); and correctional health care systems, structures, and administration. Taken together, findings highlight gaps in, and opportunities for, correctional health educational programs. Addressing health care workforce training needs is a necessary yet insufficient step to achieving health equity for populations affected by incarceration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]