10: Physical Health Care
Facilitate community-based health care providers' access to prisons and jails and promote delivery of services consistent with community standards and the need to maintain public health.
Overview
Given the high rate of illness and infection in corrections populations and the damage those issues cause to individual and public health, this policy statement recommends comprehensive treatment for all prisoners with health care needs. To make such treatment available - and to build a foundation for continued treatment - in the community, corrections administrators should seek ways to collaborate with community-based providers, including inreach, telemedicine, and appropriate information sharing.
Research Highlights
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The inmate population has significant and complex health needs.
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Individuals who are incarcerated are legally entitled to receive some level of physical health care.
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The costs of providing health care to inmates are substantial.
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Tackling the health care needs of returning inmates may positively affect the public health of the communities to which they return.
Recommendations
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Engage community-based organizations to provide health care services for inmate populations prior to discharge.
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Use telemedicine to deliver effective and cost-efficient health services.
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Integrate prevention, education, and good health promotion into correctional health care services and partner with community-based organizations to supplement this information.
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Maintain medical records so that they provide up-to-date information regarding a prisoner's condition and treatment, and ensure that a summary of the records follows the person as he or she transfers between providers.
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Promote comprehensive, integrated medical, mental health and substance abuse treatment services, both within correctional facilities and as a central component of corrections-community linkages.
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Ensure that even short-term inmates receive basic medical care and transition planning services.
Related Policy Statements
Our Publications
How and Why Medicaid Matters for People with Serious Mental Illness Released from Jail
Hundreds of thousands of people with mental illness are released from jail each year. Without continuity of care, they are likely to be reincarcerated. Enrollment in Medicaid increases access to treatment for people with mental illness released from jail, who typically lack other means to pay for those services.
Related Information
Issue Area:
Physical and Mental Health