Correctional Health Professionals Research Articles

Anxiety Among Correctional/Detention Health Professionals and Associated Risk Factors During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic.

Correctional health professionals are vulnerable to the negative mental health outcomes associated with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. A cross-sectional survey was conducted to assess anxiety symptoms in health professionals who work in correctional/detention facilities and identify associated risk factors. Data were collected from 192 health professionals from March 23 to June 30, 2021. The prevalence and degree of anxiety symptoms were assessed by the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) scale. Chi square, Mann-Whitney U, and Pearson's correlation were used to assess the associations among anxiety scores and demographic data, COVID-19 exposures, medical and psychological history, and isolation practices. Of the sample, 27.1% had at least moderate levels of anxiety (GAD-7 score >10), which is highly suggestive of a diagnosis for GAD. Main factors associated with higher levels of anxiety included female gender, younger age, type of facility, less access to personal protective equipment, and a history of chronic medical problems. The psychological burden of COVID-19 on correctional/detention health professionals is significant, and behavioral health interventions should be considered for this unique population.

Correctional Health Professionals' Response to Abuse of Incarcerated People.

Correctional Health Professionals' Response to Abuse of Incarcerated People.

Prison conditions and standards of health care for women and their children incarcerated in Zimbabwean prisons.

The Sub-Saharan African (SSA) region remains at the epicentre of the HIV epidemic and disproportionately affecting women, girls and prisoners. Women in prison are a minority group and their special health needs relating to gender sensitivity, reproductive health, their children and HIV/AIDs are frequently neglected. Our study responded to this need, and aimed to investigate the issue. A qualitative study using focus group discussions and key informant interviews explored the perspectives of women in prison, correctional officers, correctional health professionals and non-governmental organisations around prison conditions and standards of health care while incarcerated in a large female prison in Zimbabwe. Narratives were transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. The three key themes that emerged are as follows: "Sanitation and hygiene in the prison", "Nutrition for women and children" and "Prison-based health services and health care". Divergence or agreement across perspectives around adequate standards of sanitation, hygiene, quality and adequacy of food, special diets for those with health conditions, access to health care in prison and the continuum of care across incarceration and community are presented. Understanding prison environmental cultures which shape correctional staff's understanding and responsiveness to women in prison, environmental health conditions and access to health care are vital to improve conditions and continuum of care in Zimbabwe. Policy and technical guidance continues to emphasise the need for research in SSA prisons to garner insight into the experiences of women and their children, with a particular emphasis on the prison environment for them, their health outcomes and health-care continuum. This unique study responded to this need.

Factors influencing workplace violence risk among correctional health workers: insights from an Australian survey.

Little is known about the environmental and organisational determinants of workplace violence in correctional health settings. This paper describes the views of health professionals working in these settings on the factors influencing workplace violence risk. All employees of a large correctional health service in New South Wales, Australia, were invited to complete an online survey. The survey included an open-ended question seeking the views of participants about the factors influencing workplace violence in correctional health settings. Responses to this question were analysed using qualitative thematic analysis. Participants identified several factors that they felt reduced the risk of violence in their workplace, including: appropriate workplace health and safety policies and procedures; professionalism among health staff; the presence of prison guards and the quality of security provided; and physical barriers within clinics. Conversely, participants perceived workplace violence risk to be increased by: low health staff-to-patient and correctional officer-to-patient ratios; high workloads; insufficient or underperforming security staff; and poor management of violence, especially horizontal violence. The views of these participants should inform efforts to prevent workplace violence among correctional health professionals.

Smoking cessation in male prisoners: a literature review.

The purpose of this paper is to review the available literature relating to smoking cessation (SC) for the male prisoner population. Databases PubMed, CINAHL and MEDLINE were searched for English language studies from 1990 to 2012. The authors identified 12 papers examining SC in male prisoners. Full-text articles were analysed for inclusion. A total of 12 studies were identified for inclusion. Four studies focused on forced abstinence (a smoking ban) while the remainder looked at various combinations of nicotine replacement, pharmacology and behavioural techniques. No robust studies were found that examined nursing approaches to SC for the prisoner population. The evidence shows a strong "pro-smoking" culture in prison and that many prisoners continue to smoke irrespective of an enforced ban. However, SC strategies can be successful if implemented systematically and supported by consistent policies. Female-only prisoner studies were excluded as females comprise just 7 per cent of the Australian prisoner population. The analysis does not differentiate between maximum- or minimum-security prisons, or length of prison sentence. Results cannot be generalised to other forms of detention such as police custody or immigration detention centres. Studies were not appraised for quality, as exclusion on that basis would render further exploration untenable. The analysis was presented in a narrative rather than meta-analytical format and may be subject to interpretation. This paper provides a foundation on which to build further research evidence into the smoking behaviour of prisoners. This information can be used to advocate for healthier public policy for a vulnerable and marginalised population. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first literature review into SC interventions in prisons. The authors apply the findings of this literature review to the five strategies for health promotion to propose a population approach to smoking cessation in male prisoners. Recommendations specific to the correctional environment are outlined for consideration by correctional health professionals.

Workplace violence in a large correctional health service in New South Wales, Australia: a retrospective review of incident management records

BackgroundLittle is known about workplace violence among correctional health professionals. This study aimed to describe the patterns, severity and outcomes of incidents of workplace violence among employees of a large correctional health service, and to explore the help-seeking behaviours of staff following an incident.MethodsThe study setting was Justice Health, a statutory health corporation established to provide health care to people who come into contact with the criminal justice system in New South Wales, Australia. We reviewed incident management records describing workplace violence among Justice Health staff. The three-year study period was 1/7/2007-30/6/2010.ResultsDuring the period under review, 208 incidents of workplace violence were recorded. Verbal abuse (71%) was more common than physical abuse (29%). The most (44%) incidents of workplace violence (including both verbal and physical abuse) occurred in adult male prisons, although the most (50%) incidents of physical abuse occurred in a forensic hospital. Most (90%) of the victims were nurses and two-thirds were females. Younger employees and males were most likely to be a victim of physical abuse. Preparing or dispensing medication and attempting to calm and/or restrain an aggressive patient were identified as ‘high risk’ work duties for verbal abuse and physical abuse, respectively. Most (93%) of the incidents of workplace violence were initiated by a prisoner/patient. Almost all of the incidents received either a medium (46%) or low (52%) Severity Assessment Code. Few victims of workplace violence incurred a serious physical injury – there were no workplace deaths during the study period. However, mental stress was common, especially among the victims of verbal abuse (85%). Few (6%) victims of verbal abuse sought help from a health professional.ConclusionsAmong employees of a large correctional health service, verbal abuse in the workplace was substantially more common than physical abuse. The most incidents of workplace violence occurred in adult male prisons. Review of the types of adverse health outcomes experienced by the victims of workplace violence and the assessments of severity assigned to violent incidents suggests that, compared with health care settings in the community, correctional settings are fairly safe places in which to practice.

Workplace abuse among correctional health professionals in New South Wales, Australia

Studies have found that health workers are at elevated risk of being abused while at work. Little is known, however, about workplace abuse among correctional health professionals. We implemented a cross-sectional study to investigate the prevalence, sources and consequences of workplace abuse among correctional health professionals in New South Wales, Australia. METHODS All employees of Justice Health (a statutory health corporation) were invited to complete a self-administered survey, which was delivered via the internet. Among nurses, medical doctors and allied health professionals, 299 usable surveys were returned; a response rate of 42%. In the preceding 3 months, 76% of participants had personally experienced some form of abuse in their workplace, all but one of whom recalled verbal abuse. Only 16% reported physical abuse. Seventy per cent reported feeling safe in their workplace. Patients were identified as the main perpetrators of abuse, followed by fellow health staff. Participants felt that incidents of workplace abuse increased their potential to make errors while providing care to patients and reduced their productivity while at work. Compared with health workers who practise in a community setting, the risk of physical abuse among correctional health professionals appears to be low.

Readers Write: Insights From Practicing Correctional Health Professionals

Journal of Correctional Health CareVol. 14, No. 2 ArticlesReaders Write: Insights From Practicing Correctional Health ProfessionalsDaniel W. PhillipsDaniel W. PhillipsSociology and Criminal Justice Lindsey Wilson College, Columbia, KentuckySearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:1 Apr 2008https://doi.org/10.1177/1078345807313911AboutSectionsPDF/EPUB ToolsPermissionsDownload CitationsTrack CitationsAdd to favorites Back To Publication ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail "Readers Write: Insights From Practicing Correctional Health Professionals." Journal of Correctional Health Care, 14(2), pp. 139–140FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 14Issue 2Apr 2008 Information© 2008 NCCHCTo cite this article:Daniel W. Phillips.Readers Write: Insights From Practicing Correctional Health Professionals.Journal of Correctional Health Care.Apr 2008.139-140.http://doi.org/10.1177/1078345807313911Published in Volume: 14 Issue 2: April 1, 2008PDF download

Readers Write: Insights From Practicing Correctional Health Professionals

Journal of Correctional Health CareVol. 14, No. 1 ArticlesReaders Write: Insights From Practicing Correctional Health ProfessionalsBrie Williams and Robert GreifingerBrie WilliamsDivision of Geriatrics, University of California, San Francisco, CaliforniaSearch for more papers by this author and Robert GreifingerJohn Jay College of Criminal Justice, New YorkSearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:1 Jan 2008https://doi.org/10.1177/1078345807309620AboutSectionsPDF/EPUB ToolsPermissionsDownload CitationsTrack CitationsAdd to favorites Back To Publication ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsCited byDirect and Indirect Effects of Religiosity on Valuation of Life Through Forgiveness and Social Provisions Among Older Incarcerated Males20 May 2012 | The Gerontologist, Vol. 53, No. 1Medication Prescribing Practices for Older Prisoners in the Texas Prison SystemAmerican Journal of Public Health, Vol. 100, No. 4 Volume 14Issue 1Jan 2008 Information© 2008 NCCHCTo cite this article:Brie Williams and Robert Greifinger.Readers Write: Insights From Practicing Correctional Health Professionals.Journal of Correctional Health Care.Jan 2008.4-6.http://doi.org/10.1177/1078345807309620Published in Volume: 14 Issue 1: January 1, 2008PDF download

Readers Write: Insights From Practicing Correctional Health Professionals

Readers Write: Insights From Practicing Correctional Health Professionals

Readers Write: Insights From Practicing Correctional Health Professionals

Readers Write: Insights From Practicing Correctional Health Professionals

A rejoinder to Vaughn and Smith's “Practicing penal harm medicine in the United States: Prisoners' voices from jail”

Correctional health care has improved tremendously over the past 25 years. This rejoinder is a response to an article published in Justice Quarterly by Michael Vaughn and Linda Smith, in which they assert that the quality of correctional health care is suspect in correctional settings, and that an examination of one jail's problems with health care delivery revealed a “penal harm medicine” movement. We call into question such an assertion, claim that the penal harm medicine hypothesis cannot be proven by the data presented by Vaughn and Smith, and state that many of their conclusions are tenuous and harmful to correctional health professionals. We offer an analysis of their claims and suggest a more balanced view of correctional health care.