NCJ Number
126793
Journal
Federal Prisons Bureau Volume: 1 Issue: 2 Dated: (Fall 1989) Pages: 32-38
Date Published
1989
Length
7 pages
Annotation
The US Public Health Service (PHS) has worked with the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) since 1930 to provide medical and dental treatments and referrals, as well as nonmedical duties including sanitation, environmental and occupational safety, food services, and farming operations.
Abstract
Although both inmates and physicians work with a different set of limitations than those encountered on the outside, the quality of medical care is generally very high in prisons because of the availability of staff and close supervision of inmates who may fall seriously ill. Over time, specialized programs for subpopulations, including women and disabled inmates, have been developed. Addiction treatment for inmates and the spread of AIDS among the prison population have raised important issues that the Bureau's Health Services Division has had to confront. Some recent administrative problems in providing health services to Federal prisons have been recruitment of medical personnel, training programs for physician assistants, and medical auditing. Much of the improvement in prison medical care has been due to the increased involvement of the courts and Congress.