NCJ Number
81986
Date Published
1981
Length
79 pages
Annotation
These 56 standards for jail health services are designed to ensure that inmates receive medical and psychiatric care comparable to that available in the community. Accreditation of jail health care programs by the American Medical Association requires compliance with the majority of these standards.
Abstract
The standards address administrative and personnel matters, care and treatment, pharmaceuticals, health records, dental care, and legal issues. Detailed chemical dependency and psychiatric standards, included for the first time, are deemed especially important because of the frequency with which mentally ill and chemically dependent people are jailed. The standards are arranged topically, with 'essential' standards listed first. Each standard is followed by a discussion elaborating its conceptual basis and identifying alternative means of compliance. Specific standards address such issues as medical autonomy, licensure, staff development and training, inmates as health workers, detoxification, access to treatment, priority of complaints, and informed consent and medical research. For accreditation, a facility must meet all of the 'essential' standards, as well as 70 percent of the 'important' ones for 1 year of accreditation and 85 percent for 2 years. A glossary and subject index are appended.