NCJ Number
137747
Journal
Annals of Internal Medicine Volume: 117 Issue: 1 Dated: (July 1, 1992) Pages: 71-77
Date Published
1992
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This position paper -- approved by the American College of Physicians, the National Commission on Correctional Health Care, and the American Correctional Health Services Association -- examines the impact of the national drug control strategy (NDCS) on correctional health services and recommends changes to improve such health care.
Abstract
Mandatory sentencing practices, and the NDCS focus on punitive incarceration as the primary tools for addressing the drug problem in the United States, have overwhelmed correctional facilities to the point of crisis, without substantially alleviating the national problem of drug abuse or drug-related crime. Funding for correctional health care has lagged far behind the prison and jail population growth. There are insufficient inmate drug treatment programs, and the prevalence of communicable diseases in correctional institutions has increased, particularly those diseases associated with intravenous drug use. The NDCS should put less emphasis on incarceration for drug offenders and more emphasis on prevention and treatment. Further, correctional health care budgets must reflect the growing mental and physical health needs of the inmate population. All correctional facilities should implement and maintain standards of health care to ensure that minimally adequate care is delivered. To respond to new and increasing demands, correctional health care must evolve from its current reactive "sick call" model into a proactive system that emphasizes screening, early disease detection and treatment, health promotion, and disease prevention. 33 references