NCJ Number
101070
Editor(s)
S Cawthra,
C Ginty
Date Published
1985
Length
107 pages
Annotation
These seven papers and an introduction examine the operation and problems of the Prison Medical Service in Great Britain and argue for changes in the structure and procedures used by the service.
Abstract
An analysis of the service's historical roots and relationship to the National Health Service (NHS) concludes that inmate health care should become part of NHS. A comparative analysis considers the prison health services of England and Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, the United States, and the Netherlands. The efforts by the American Medical Association and the National Commission on Correctional Health Care to improve inmate medical services in the United States through standards and voluntary accreditation are described. A critique of the use of x-ray equipment in British prisons argues that this service should be handled by the NHS. An analysis of the problems involved in the treatment of mentally ill offenders in Great Britain recommends a strict admission policy for psychiatric treatment, a study of prison psychiatric care, and changes in the way the authorities handle disturbed prisoners. An examination of the use of psychotropic drugs in prison concludes that the dual responsibilities of prison doctors make it difficult to distinguish between using drugs for treatment and using them for control. A discussion of the therapeutic community for alcoholics and drug addicts at Wormwood Scrubs suggests that the program's methods be used in other components of the British prison system. Chapter references.