Caring for Those in Custody: Identifying High-Priority Needs to Reduce Mortality in Correctional Facilities
"Correctional facilities are responsible for the care, custody, and
control of individuals who are detained while awaiting trial or who have
been convicted of a crime and sentenced to a term of imprisonment. The
true scope of this mission is much broader than simply protecting the
public from those accused or convicted of criminal acts by keeping these
individuals behind bars. These facilities also have a constitutional
obligation to provide for the health and well-being of those under their
charge. Administrators are responsible for not only developing and
implementing strategies to prevent violence among the inmate population
and inmate self-harm, but also for providing general health care through
medical and mental health services....
While some level of in-custody deaths are inevitable — for example, the
passing of elderly inmates from old age — certain types of mortality are
highly preventable with the proper interventions. This effort convened a
panel of prison and jail administrators, researchers, and health care
professionals to consider the challenges related to inmate mortality in
correctional facilities and opportunities for improved outcomes. Through
structured brainstorming and prioritization of the results, the panel
identified a series of needs that, if addressed, could significantly
reduce inmate mortality rates."
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