About the Report of the Re-Entry Council

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

Recommendations

  1. Engage community-based organizations to provide health care services for inmate populations prior to discharge.
  2. Use telemedicine to deliver effective and cost-efficient health services.
  3. Integrate prevention, education, and good health promotion into correctional health care services and partner with community-based organizations to supplement this information.
  4. 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.
  5. Promote comprehensive, integrated medical, mental health and substance abuse treatment services, both within correctional facilities and as a central component of corrections-community linkages.
  6. Ensure that even short-term inmates receive basic medical care and transition planning services.

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Many people released from prison or jail are at risk for homelessness, which can increase the likelihood that they will commit new crimes and return to prison.

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