The prevailing social, physical, psychological and mental health needs of older offenders require the correctional staff to be subsequently trained to better address those needs. The gap between older offenders health care needs and the prison environment posses numerous challenges for the prison administration as well as health care providers (Reimer, 2008). Often health problems and other age-related problems go undetected and untreated in a prison system that is designed for the younger offender (Handtke & Wagmo, 2014). The prison staff is often selected based off credentials and job expectations that relate to working with young offenders ( Morton,1992). In fact, some of the staff may not have personal qualities and characteristics for working with older individuals in prison. Flexibility, patience, …show more content…
As such, specialized training is required within the prison as well due to the fact that there are close to 1 out of 4 inmates that are 50 years old and above (Public Safety Canada, 2015). The Human Rights (2012) watch states that prison staff are not equipped with the understanding of how to deal with mental illnesses such as dementia and Alzheimer’s. Often untrained to recognize the needs of older offenders, the prison staff is on the front lines of the geriatric care (Human Rights Watch, 2012). The lack of awareness is not only a concern for human rights advocates and criminologist but it has become a concern for the inmates. Older offenders fear that there will be a lack of services when reaching their final days (Handtke & Wagmo, 2014). In addition, they are also concerned with the administration of medication and day-to-day medical assistance (Saunders, 2013). It is important to note that these trends are often accompanied with the growing body of literature to suggest that prevalence of crime is reduced by
The picture this book paints would no doubt bother corrections professionals in prisons where prisoner-staff relationships and officer solidarity are more developed. In training, Conover is told that "the most important thing you can learn here is to communicate with inmates." And the Sing Sing staff who enjoy the most success and fulfillment i...
institution plays in their community; the effect of different stakeholder groups on their organizational mission; the importance of their staff in achieving the organization’s goals; and the impact of providing a safe and secure correctional environment where inmates can work toward their rehabilitation and return to live crime-free in the community” (p. 80). This is a large undertaking. It would behoove organizations to ensure that they are training staff in ways that will help promote these habits while increasing the efficacy of their organization.
Ashley’s journey with the Canadian prison system showed that she was fighting her mental health, but the prison didn’t meet the standards on providing the proper care she needed, although she was diagnosed early on as a teen before entering incarceration, with a learning disability, behavioural issues, impulsivity and not understanding the consequences that an institution should look for when handling these types of offenders. Despite all the effort her parents were to give, Ashley still did not receive genuine support or intervention for her needs to be met, which resulted in her mental disorder to progress. As Ashley kept getting older and the system kept getting irritable with her stay, her mental health kept decreasing. The extensive use of solitary confinement, as studies show, can increase psychological distress, such as anxiety, depression, paranoia, and aggression (Strong, J. D., Reiter, K., Gonzalez, G., Tublitz, R., Augustine, D., Barragan, M., Chesnut, K., Dashtgard, P., Pifer, N., & Blair, T. R,
To Health Service In Correctional Evironments: Inmates Health Care Measurement, Satisfaction and Access In Prisons.” Howard Journal of Criminal Justice 50.3. (2011): 262-274. Academic Search Complete. Web. 5 May 2014.
At any given time, a single corrections officer, can expect to be outnumbered by upwards of 400 inmates (Conover, 2011). It can be chilling to work in the midst of hundreds of inmates, some of which initiate attacks and inappropriate relationships. However, other issues have impacted the psychological health and physical safety of the staff. Detrimental factors have included heavy workloads, the prisons physical structure, and a lack of support from both peers and superiors. Each workplace issue has been in addition to role problems, specifically role ambiguity and role conflict (Schaufeli & Peeters, 2011). It is believed that anyone of these undesirable facets of prison should be enough to deter the public from attempting to enter such positions, yet the essay attempts to connect the dysfunctional aspects, expanding on why these prison positions are associated with burnout and frustration. In an attempt to do the profession justice, elements that appear to have encouraged individuals to not only join, but also stay, will be explored.
According to the American Civil liberties report, 246,000 convicts are age 50 and older. At this age group they face many challenges, not only do they go through different challenges, but taxpayer’s money is providing for all the extra services elderly inmates need. An eldedy inmate requires more attention medically than a younger inmate. At what point does an elderly offender stop being dangerous? Is there a way where the elderly inmate number can stop increasing and save the taxpayers money?
Correctional psychologists are virtually clinical psychologists in a correctional setting. These professionals do their own, more intensive screening of an inmate’s mental health history and current mental health status. Based on their findings, they provide program recommendations, offer group and individual counseling, administer psychotropic medications, assess how each individual would be best managed. Additionally, correctional psychologists are on-call to handle emergency situations involving mentally ill inmates, such as hostage negotiations and crisis intervention. The treatment of mentally ill individuals in jails and prisons is a prominent concern that is becoming more so as more ill individuals are sentences to jail and prison stays. Currently, the United States correctional facilities are the largest provider of mental health services. (Reingle Gonzalez,et al
Corrections officers are often faced with unimaginable situations in their role in providing the structure for prisoners to go back into society. In corrections facilities, there is a high turnover rate due to the physical and mental strain these officers endure. Issues such as riots, fights, gangs, dealing with inmates with mental health issues, and the potentially negative personality issues that prisoners bring with them to prison. This stress can lead to mental health issues, physical health disorders, and family problems. We need to provide them help and find ways to make the job more manageable to ensure the corrections officers are able to not only do their job, but also lead a productive life outside of work.
Correctional nursing has become a specialty in the nursing profession in the past few years (Shoenly, 2015). Although it is a relatively new caring role, it is quickly evolving as an important element of society (Weiskopf, 2004). Correctional nursing includes nurses that contribute to the health improvement of inmates and detainees that are not able to reach heath access outside of their boundaries or are in need of care. According to Weiskopf. (2004), there are more than two million prisoners in the United States, whereas Statistics Canada. (2016) says that there were more than 35 000 inmates in Canadian custody (Reitano, 2003). The importance of exploring Correctional nursing is to identify the impact nurses have in prisons. It is important
To begin, the prison population is very unique which brings a difficult population of inmates. Prison staff members has in some situations no control over, and in other situations total control over an inmate behavior. Traditionally known, inmates tend to be very aggressive, willing to challenge correctional staff, and always willing to contend for any given thing. Resulting in correctional staff members having to put up with a lot of physically and verbally aggressive inmates than ever before.
Mental Illness in the Prison System There are around 2.3 million inmates in the U.S. Prisons, whether the crimes committed were petty or serious. Approximately 20 percent of inmates in jail and 15 percent of inmates in state prisons have some form of serious illness. When talking about how mental illness is a problem when it comes to the prison system, it is important to start from the beginning. Before the 1960’s mental institutions where called insane asylums where many problems for those who were patients there. Problems such as abuse by those who were supposed to be taking care of them, or the cleanliness of the establishment.
Many people idealized the relevancy of living in a civilized world, where those who break the law are reprimanded in a less traditional sense of punishment in today’s standard. Instead of just doing hard time, programs and services could and should be provided to reform and rehabilitate prisoner. Despite standard beliefs, many individuals in prison are not harden criminals and violent offenders, many of these people suffer mental illness and substance abuse Hoke
A correctional officer is apart of a staff in a detention center, prison, or a jail that sets to accomplish the goals of the institution’s objectives by maintaining control and order within the prison (Seiter, 2011). While the role of a correctional officer is very crucial within a prison, depending on the unique role to a specific location, it is important that we understand that these humble and quiet guardians are in the correction facilities. Between the different criminal justice facilities, the mission and goals between them are vastly different, although there is very little contrast in the roles that correctional officers play in these facilities. Correctional officers are solely in charge of the direct and constant supervision of prisoners and administering the security procedures and protocols within a facility. These officers also need to be extremely well informed in the technical and interactive realm of the prison system as daily interactions with the inmate population requires them to have strict adherence to policies and a sharp attention to
ELDERLY: SHOULD THEY SUFFER IN PRISON OR SIMPLY BE RELEASED? Karenna Cruz American Public University System. This paper will explore the question of whether the elderly imprisoned and in deteriorating health should reside in prison or be released. Should the government continue to house and pay the expenses of keeping the elderly incarcerated, or should they be released if they are simply near the end of their life and are unable to commit any further crimes? The Concerns of Keeping Imprisoned Elderly Offenders Today, there are prisons across the United States of which house elderly inmates who can barely walk, talk, and function within their daily life without the help of prison employees or volunteers.
The bottom line is that regardless of what environment we are contained to, the way one treats another person will have an effect on their own environment and their own stress level. This problem will continue until we can humanize the individual away from the environment. The problems of the jails have changed over the years as well, today we see less overcrowding based on (2014) Bureau of Justice Statistics, Annual Survey of Jails, statistic report that was written by “Todd D. Minton and Daniela Golinelli”. It shows a dramatic decrease of male incarcerations between 2012 and 2013. In addition, higher turnover rates among jail personnel are attributed as officers use their experience as stepping stones for other agencies.