Prison Healthcare

Angelia Burnette

HCS 430

May 28, 2012
Susan Kajfasz

Prison Healthcare

Healthcare is a big topic no matter how you view it, but when looking at it from the point of a person who is in prison, it takes on a whole new view. Those who are in prison have federal and state laws that say that the prisons must provide them with medical facilities for their healthcare needs. This paper will identify a governmental agency that regulates the healthcare that is provided to prisoners in an institution within the United States, along with the foundation of such an agency and who regulates the licenses, accreditation, certifications, and authorization for employment for those who work within one of these …show more content…

The American Bar Association is responsible for making sure that each employee that works within the prison hospital has the proper licensure, accreditation, certification, and authorization to do so (Standards, 2012). In February, 2010, the ABA approved a set of criminal justice standards for the treatment of those who are inmates within a prison system in the U.S. These standards include fifteen standards in reference to the health care provided to these individuals and those who provide such. Standard number 23-6.4 specifically covers the issue of qualified health care personnel who provide services to prison inmates. This standard says that each institution should employ or contract an appropriate number of experienced medical, dental, and mental health professionals at each correctional facility to render preventive, routine, urgent, and emergency health care in a timely manner consistent with accepted health care practice and standards (Standards, 2012). It also states that each professional should be fully licensed in accordance to the state requirements for such. Those who provide the health care services are to be licensed the same as any other person going into the healthcare field. Depending on their specialty, they