US Prison Policies on Organ Donation for Individuals Who Are Incarcerated

Iwai, Yoshiko; Behne, Michael Forrest; Long, Jason; Brinkley‐Rubinstein, Lauren

doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.2047

Cited by 3 publications

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References 2 publications

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“…This is likely due to the complex interplay of structural barriers preventing individuals from exercising autonomy while incarcerated, lack of transparent policies, discrimination, and insufficient provider knowledge in advance care planning (Ekaireb et al, 2018 ; Frank et al, 2014 ; “Who Should Make Decisions for Unrepresented Patients Who Are Incarcerated?,” 2019 ). Another complicating factor may be related to the marked heterogeneity in state policies that can be appreciated in many areas of healthcare, including abortion, contraception, shackling, organ donation, and end-of-life care (Asiodu et al, 2021 ; Helmly et al, 2022 ; Iwai et al, 2023 ; Pan et al, 2021 ; Sufrin et al, 2021 ). Yet, it is unknown how carceral systems differ in their policies for notifying next of kin in the time surrounding death and the processes for determining the disposition of remains, especially in cases where next-of-kin (NOK) communication is inaccessible.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Death in Prison: increasing transparency on next of kin notification and disposition of remains

Iwai,

Behne,

Brinkley-Rubinstein

2023

Health Justice

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Background Policies for next-of-kin (NOK) notification and disposition of remains surrounding death are unclear across the United States’ (US) carceral systems. The goal of this study was to collect data on carceral system policies pertaining to NOK notification and disposition of remains for individuals who are incarcerated. We collected publicly available operational policies for the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 50 state prison systems, and the Washington D.C. jail for a total of 53 systems. Results Approximately 70% of systems had available policies on NOK notification and disposition of remains. Few systems had information on time constraints for NOK notification, notifying parties or designated contacts person, and ultimate disposition of unclaimed remains. Several systems had no accessible policies. Conclusions Across the US, carceral systems vary in policies for notifying NOK after the death of an incarcerated individual and their processes for the disposition of remains. Carceral and health systems should work towards standardization of policies on communication and disposition of remains after death of an individual who is incarcerated to work towards equity.

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