Posted: July 30th, 2022

Health care of Correctional Populations

Health care of Correctional Populations
Jails and prisons are popularly known for their extremely overcrowded and poor sanitation conditions. Health care is not prioritized and is often low quality and almost impossible to access. As a result, inmates suffer from quite a range of health conditions from infectious diseases, drug and substance abuse, chronic illnesses to mental problems. Their life expectancy is 5 years lower than that of the general population.
Infectious diseases
Poor and overcrowded conditions in prisons and jails provide the perfect breeding grounds for infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and other communicable diseases. Tuberculosis is an airborne disease that thrives well in overcrowded conditions. Inmates are at higher risk of contracting tuberculosis than the general population. HIV transmission is also higher in jails from drug abuse and dangerous practices like needle sharing that go unmonitored. The best solution would be to reduce overcrowding in the facilities and provide the necessary health care and support to the already infected people.
Drug and substance abuse
Drug and substance abuse is prevalent in prisons than in any other environment. More than 65% of inmates are estimated to have a drug and substance abuse problems. Unfortunately, only a few of them receive proper health care treatment during incarceration. This puts them at a higher risk of experiencing chronic conditions that may end up in withdrawal symptoms or overdose cases. The government in liaison with the community should focus on addressing cases of drug addiction and offering rehabilitation and support services to the inmates.
Violence, Injuries, and self-harm
Self-inflicted and accidental injuries are very common in correctional populations. A recent survey showed that at least 32% of the prison population, including correctional officers and other staff, reported having been injured at least once in their stay. Self-harm and suicidal deaths are also very high in jails and prisons, especially with people in denial and those wrongly convicted.
Mental Health and Chronic conditions
The correctional population comprises part of the community with the highest cases of mental conditions such as bipolar, depression, and schizophrenia. Some develop these conditions after incarceration while others come in with mild symptoms, which are worsened by the poor conditions in prison and lack of appropriate health care. Chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and asthma are also widespread among this group of people. All this revolves around poor living conditions in jails and prisons with an increasingly aging population for inmates with long term sentences.
Health is a major issue facing the correctional population. If the state does not improve the kind of health care provided to inmates, they risk a public health crisis when the same inmates are released back to society.

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