Palliative Care for Prison Inmates

New Guidance for an Old Problem

“…If the terminology “compassionate release” is taken in its literal sense, “compassion” emphasizes the need to acknowledge the suffering of a dying prisoner as “deprived of freedom” rather than “deprived of appropriate end-of-life care.” This was expressed by stakeholders who felt that the repressive, and often violent (Liebling & Arnold, 2012), prison environment does not provide the conditions for a death with dignity in spite of availability of end-of-life care and that dying in freedom is important. This is also often voiced by prisoners (Linder & Meyers, 2007) and in literature (Russell, 1993; World Health Organization [WHO], 2007). A problem arises when confounding compassion with the principle of equivalence.…”

New Guidance for an Old Problem

“…If the terminology “compassionate release” is taken in its literal sense, “compassion” emphasizes the need to acknowledge the suffering of a dying prisoner as “deprived of freedom” rather than “deprived of appropriate end-of-life care.” This was expressed by stakeholders who felt that the repressive, and often violent (Liebling & Arnold, 2012), prison environment does not provide the conditions for a death with dignity in spite of availability of end-of-life care and that dying in freedom is important. This is also often voiced by prisoners (Linder & Meyers, 2007) and in literature (Russell, 1993; World Health Organization [WHO], 2007). A problem arises when confounding compassion with the principle of equivalence.…”

Prevalence and characteristics of prisoners requiring end-of-life care: A prospective national survey

“…Thus, 12 patients could have taken advantage of this measure but did not make any such request. According to physicians, the reasons why no requests were submitted were as follows: no desire to submit a request, 4 subject not addressed, 2 death before request, 2 request for alternative conditions for detention, 2 healthcare adapted to health problem, 1 and one prisoner who thought he did not meet the criteria. 1 According to the treating physicians, 11 persons (3 in UHSI and 8 in UCSA) had a health status that was compatible with detention despite having a life expectancy of <1 year.…”

“…According to physicians, the reasons why no requests were submitted were as follows: no desire to submit a request, 4 subject not addressed, 2 death before request, 2 request for alternative conditions for detention, 2 healthcare adapted to health problem, 1 and one prisoner who thought he did not meet the criteria. 1 According to the treating physicians, 11 persons (3 in UHSI and 8 in UCSA) had a health status that was compatible with detention despite having a life expectancy of <1 year. The reasons given to justify the compatibility of the patient’s health with continued prison detention were mainly the autonomy of the patient, a good health status, and less frequently the fact that the prisoner’s living conditions within the prison were adapted to their state of health.…”

Aging in Correctional Custody: Setting a Policy Agenda for Older Prisoner Health Care

“…Several notable, well-established, and successful hospice models operate in prisons across the United States, but palliative care programs that focus on preventive and diagnostic care at the time of diagnosis of a serious medical illness are less prevalent in the correctional health care setting. 56 Hospice is care focused on people who are actively dying (usually in the last 6 months of life). Palliative care—care that is focused on providing guidance and symptom control for seriously ill persons—has a demonstrated ability in the community to improve quality of life while reducing health care costs.…”

“…Roundtable participants also agreed that a fundamental tenet of palliative care is health care provider–patient trust. Because trust can be a barrier in the prisoner–provider relationship in prison, 56,58 expansion of effective palliative care programs may require independent palliative care contractors. In addition, participants underscored the need for a better understanding of prisoners’ attitudes and beliefs about hospice and palliative care.…”

New Guidance for an Old Problem

“…If the terminology “compassionate release” is taken in its literal sense, “compassion” emphasizes the need to acknowledge the suffering of a dying prisoner as “deprived of freedom” rather than “deprived of appropriate end-of-life care.” This was expressed by stakeholders who felt that the repressive, and often violent (Liebling & Arnold, 2012), prison environment does not provide the conditions for a death with dignity in spite of availability of end-of-life care and that dying in freedom is important. This is also often voiced by prisoners (Linder & Meyers, 2007) and in literature (Russell, 1993; World Health Organization [WHO], 2007). A problem arises when confounding compassion with the principle of equivalence.…”

Prevalence and characteristics of prisoners requiring end-of-life care: A prospective national survey

“…Thus, 12 patients could have taken advantage of this measure but did not make any such request. According to physicians, the reasons why no requests were submitted were as follows: no desire to submit a request, 4 subject not addressed, 2 death before request, 2 request for alternative conditions for detention, 2 healthcare adapted to health problem, 1 and one prisoner who thought he did not meet the criteria. 1 According to the treating physicians, 11 persons (3 in UHSI and 8 in UCSA) had a health status that was compatible with detention despite having a life expectancy of <1 year.…”

“…According to physicians, the reasons why no requests were submitted were as follows: no desire to submit a request, 4 subject not addressed, 2 death before request, 2 request for alternative conditions for detention, 2 healthcare adapted to health problem, 1 and one prisoner who thought he did not meet the criteria. 1 According to the treating physicians, 11 persons (3 in UHSI and 8 in UCSA) had a health status that was compatible with detention despite having a life expectancy of <1 year. The reasons given to justify the compatibility of the patient’s health with continued prison detention were mainly the autonomy of the patient, a good health status, and less frequently the fact that the prisoner’s living conditions within the prison were adapted to their state of health.…”

Aging in Correctional Custody: Setting a Policy Agenda for Older Prisoner Health Care

“…Several notable, well-established, and successful hospice models operate in prisons across the United States, but palliative care programs that focus on preventive and diagnostic care at the time of diagnosis of a serious medical illness are less prevalent in the correctional health care setting. 56 Hospice is care focused on people who are actively dying (usually in the last 6 months of life). Palliative care—care that is focused on providing guidance and symptom control for seriously ill persons—has a demonstrated ability in the community to improve quality of life while reducing health care costs.…”

“…Roundtable participants also agreed that a fundamental tenet of palliative care is health care provider–patient trust. Because trust can be a barrier in the prisoner–provider relationship in prison, 56,58 expansion of effective palliative care programs may require independent palliative care contractors. In addition, participants underscored the need for a better understanding of prisoners’ attitudes and beliefs about hospice and palliative care.…”

New Guidance for an Old Problem

“…If the terminology “compassionate release” is taken in its literal sense, “compassion” emphasizes the need to acknowledge the suffering of a dying prisoner as “deprived of freedom” rather than “deprived of appropriate end-of-life care.” This was expressed by stakeholders who felt that the repressive, and often violent (Liebling & Arnold, 2012), prison environment does not provide the conditions for a death with dignity in spite of availability of end-of-life care and that dying in freedom is important. This is also often voiced by prisoners (Linder & Meyers, 2007) and in literature (Russell, 1993; World Health Organization [WHO], 2007). A problem arises when confounding compassion with the principle of equivalence.…”

Prevalence and characteristics of prisoners requiring end-of-life care: A prospective national survey

“…Thus, 12 patients could have taken advantage of this measure but did not make any such request. According to physicians, the reasons why no requests were submitted were as follows: no desire to submit a request, 4 subject not addressed, 2 death before request, 2 request for alternative conditions for detention, 2 healthcare adapted to health problem, 1 and one prisoner who thought he did not meet the criteria. 1 According to the treating physicians, 11 persons (3 in UHSI and 8 in UCSA) had a health status that was compatible with detention despite having a life expectancy of <1 year.…”

“…According to physicians, the reasons why no requests were submitted were as follows: no desire to submit a request, 4 subject not addressed, 2 death before request, 2 request for alternative conditions for detention, 2 healthcare adapted to health problem, 1 and one prisoner who thought he did not meet the criteria. 1 According to the treating physicians, 11 persons (3 in UHSI and 8 in UCSA) had a health status that was compatible with detention despite having a life expectancy of <1 year. The reasons given to justify the compatibility of the patient’s health with continued prison detention were mainly the autonomy of the patient, a good health status, and less frequently the fact that the prisoner’s living conditions within the prison were adapted to their state of health.…”

Aging in Correctional Custody: Setting a Policy Agenda for Older Prisoner Health Care

“…Several notable, well-established, and successful hospice models operate in prisons across the United States, but palliative care programs that focus on preventive and diagnostic care at the time of diagnosis of a serious medical illness are less prevalent in the correctional health care setting. 56 Hospice is care focused on people who are actively dying (usually in the last 6 months of life). Palliative care—care that is focused on providing guidance and symptom control for seriously ill persons—has a demonstrated ability in the community to improve quality of life while reducing health care costs.…”

“…Roundtable participants also agreed that a fundamental tenet of palliative care is health care provider–patient trust. Because trust can be a barrier in the prisoner–provider relationship in prison, 56,58 expansion of effective palliative care programs may require independent palliative care contractors. In addition, participants underscored the need for a better understanding of prisoners’ attitudes and beliefs about hospice and palliative care.…”