The Health and Health Care of US Prisoners: Results of a Nationwide Survey

Abstract

Many inmates with a serious chronic physical illness fail to receive care while incarcerated. Among inmates with mental illness, most were off their treatments at the time of arrest. Improvements are needed both in correctional health care and in community mental health services that might prevent crime and incarceration.

Directly Observed versus Self-administered Antiretroviral Therapies: Preference of HIV-Positive Jailed Inmates in San Francisco

“…They may be incarcerated for weeks to months and have high rates of illicit substance or alcohol addiction. 1,2,7 Due to chronic infections and the effect of incarceration on health status, 2,5,[8][9][10][11][12] they are a target population for whom availability of antiretroviral (ARV) therapy and general medical care is essential. Introduction and continuation of ARV therapy can be offered while a person is incarcerated, but there are many concerns regarding optimal methods to deliver care in order to maximize personal and public health benefits.…”

Palliative and End-of-Life Care in Correctional Settings

“…In contrast to prisons, jails are usually operated by a city, county, parish, or other municipal entity and jail inmates are often awaiting trial or, if already convicted, individuals are almost always serving sentences of less than 1 year. With respect to general health and mental health care, jails and prisons have very different turnover rates and track records of providing timely medical assessment and treatment (Wilper et al, 2009), leading to different opportunities to improve health care in general and palliative care specifically in each setting.…”

“…What we can say is that for some combination of reasons-possibly including inherited predisposition and acquired riskBlacks and Hispanics are at greater risk of developing diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and its sequelae (stroke, kidney failure, vascular disease), and Blacks and Asians are at elevated risk of sickle cell disorders (a potential genetic factor). The over-representation of African American and Latino men and women in prison, in combination with the lower educational attainment and SES of the inmate population overall and the harmful synergies between mental health and chronic illness which many inmates experience, yields a population who are sicker than their age-matched free peers (Tanne, 2009;Wilper et al, 2009) One element of lower SES in the United States is the lack of access to health-care services including preventive care, primary care, routine screening and affordable medications. The uninsured and underinsured, the majority of whom are of lower SES, often have to forego medications to treat chronic conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure.…”

“…In some instances, it opens the inmate to hostility or ostracism and can telegraph vulnerability in an environment where the weak may be preyed upon. A recent large-scale survey of inmates (Wilper et al, 2009) found that a sizable number of inmates were not seen by medical personnel for a serious injury: 650 (7.7%) federal inmates surveyed, 12,997 (12%) in state prisons, and 3183 (24.7%) of jail detainees. Serious injury was defined as knife or gunshot wounds, broken bones, internal injuries, being knocked unconscious or sexually assaulted.…”

Factors associated with the utilization of community dental services among newly incarcerated adults

“…Previous research has demonstrated a deficiency in the quality of healthcare provided in correctional institutions (Kulkarni, Baldwin, Lightstone, Gelberg, & Diamant, 2010). Consequently, there is an increased prevalence of chronic diseases and mental conditions among prisoners compared to the general U.S. population (Williams, Goodwin, Baillargeon, Ahalt, & Walter, 2012;Wilper et al, 2009). However, few studies have focused on access to care or the state of oral health among incarcerated populations in the U.S., which is an apparent limitation in view of the relationship between oral and general health (Treadwell & Formicola, 2008;Licata & Paradise, 2012).…”