NCJ Number
185139
Journal
Corrections Technology and Management Volume: 4 Issue: 5 Dated: September/October 2000 Pages: 54-57
Date Published
2000
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article describes the health care services at the Hampden County Correctional Center (HCCC), located near Springfield, Mass., which has been recognized across the country as innovative and a model for other facilities.
Abstract
HCCC, a medium-security facility, houses more than 1,700 inmates and sees approximately 10,000 people cycle through each year. The HCCC staff and health care providers from the community provide comprehensive medical care to inmates. The program is considered innovative partly because it invites health care providers from outside the facility to serve the inmates while they are incarcerated and after they are released. The program provides early detection, prevention through education, effective medical and psychological treatment, and continuing care. After their release, former inmates will have appointments with the same doctor and caseworker they saw in the jail. Effective management has resulted in the program being cost-effective, with the cost running approximately $6 per inmate per day. This compares favorably with the average $10-$12 per inmate per day in most facilities. This type of program is well worth the investment by taxpayers, since it increases public safety by decreasing the incidence and prevalence of disease in the community.