Emerging Issues in Prison Health

by Bernice S. Elger (Editor), Catherine Ritter (Editor), Heino Stöver (Editor)

Overview

This volume recognizes and addresses the health care issues of prisoners, to establish best practices and to learn about approaches to these challenges from around the world. It presents new evidence on several emerging and classical prison health issues. The first goal of this volume is to address emerging issues related to health in prison. Second, it presents the most recent research-based evidence and translates it to the practice. The third goal, is that it allows for sufficient diversity while also incorporating updates of some important already recognized prison health. 
 The volume discusses prisons and the life and well-being of prisoners and staff, after growing problems as drug misuse (incl. tobacco smoking), infectious diseases (HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, STIs and TB), psychiatric problems, inadequate and unhealthy living conditions (incl. nutrition), overcrowding of prisons. These are addressed adequately in order to meet the international requirements of equivalence of health care.
The scope of this volume is at the same type specific and diverse enough to cover the interests of a large audience that includes many types of practitioners involved in health-related issues in the field of prison health care, such as psychologists, nurses and prison administration officers responsible for health care, legal professionals and social workers. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9789401775588
Publisher:	Springer-Verlag New York, LLC
Publication date:	08/05/2016
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	259
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Bernice S. Elger 
Catherine Ritter is trained as a medical doctor. She currently works as an independent expert in prison health. Her areas of interest are addiction, transmittable diseases and health promotion among prisoners and migrants.
Heino Stöver is Director of the Institute of Addiction Research, Frankfurt am main, Germa-ny. He is President of the German Harm Reduction Umbrella Network (www.akzept.org). He graduated in social sciences and his current research inter-ests are health promotion among vulnerable groups, drug services, and health is-sues in closed settings (HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C and drug dependence, health of prison staff).

Table of Contents

Introduction; Michael Levy.- Aging Inside: Older Adults in Prison; Adrian J. Hayes.- Supporting Families and Children Living in the Shadow of PrisonersViviane Scheckter.- Death in Custody: Towards an International Framework for Investigation and Prevention; Gloria Gaggioli and Bernice S. Elger.- Sudden Deaths in Police Custody: Analysis of Causes and the Need for Prevention; Christoph G. Birngruber, Reinhard B. Dettmeyer, Sönke Janzen and Bernice S. Elger.- The Continuing Emergence of Art Therapy in Prisons; David E. Gussak.- Spiritual Help During Detention: Specific Responses to Different Stages and Types of Imprisonment; Frank Stüfen.- A Balanced Diet: From Facts to Solutions; Bernice S. Elger.- Doing Gender in Prisons: Sport as a Way of Creating Masculinity; Heino Stöver.- Psychiatric Problems in Prisoners: Screening, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention; Annette Opitz-Welke.- Drug Services and Harm Reduction Practice in Prisons; Heino Stöver.- Hepatitis C Viral Infection in Prisons; Geert Robaeys, Amber Arain and Heino Stöver.- Confidentiality in Prison Health Care: A Practical Guide; Bernice S. Elger.- Preventing Human Rights Violations in Prison: The Role of Guidelines; Bernice S. Elger and David M. Shaw.- Immigration Detention and Health in Europe; Barbara Rijk, Caroline Schultz, Roumyana Petrova-Benedict and Mariya Samuilova.- Protection of People in Custody under the International Human Rights Sys-tem: The Case of Interim Measures in the European System; Clara Burbano Herrera.- Prison Staff under Stress: Causes, Consequences and Health Promotion Strategies; Heino Stöver.

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Gary B Kaniuk, PsyD (Cermak Health Services)
Description: The book explores the various health issues of prisoners, including psychiatric disorders, substance abuse, infectious diseases, along with human rights. It provides an international approach, focusing mainly on prisons in Europe and Australia.
Purpose: In the preface, the authors state their intent to "share their international practical experience in important matters related to the health of prisoners. In this context, health is considered not only in the sense of general physical and mental well-being (even if this seems an almost unachievable aim, given the conditions that characterise most prisons), but also in the sense of having the necessary ability and opportunities to fulfill one's personal aims in life."
Audience: The intended audience is large, including "many types of practitioners involved in health-related issues in the field of prison health care, such as psychologists, nurses and prison administration officers responsible for health care, legal professionals and social workers." Both editors have experience in prison medicine. Bernice Elger is director of the Institute for Biomedical Ethics at the University of Basel in Switzerland and Catherine Ritter is a physician working in prison health. The contributors are from Europe and Australia.
Features: The book begins by noting that in the U.S., there is evidence of a 1300% increase in the prison population since the 1980s, while Australia, Japan, and Canada have shown similar increases. It goes on to state that prisoners should be screened for psychiatric disorders since there is a high prevalence of these disorders in this population. Additionally, substance abuse services should be available since there is a high incidence of drug use in the prisoner population. There should also be both inpatient and outpatient care units, comparable to what is offered in the community. Medical personnel must preserve confidentiality unless there is credible evidence of suicidal and/or homicidal ideations. The authors also discuss how the lives of relatives are impacted by having a loved one in jail, such as the negative economic consequences and the suffering of children. They note that spirituality in prison helps give inner freedom to inmates and hope that the future can be better, no matter what their crimes are. It is also important that deaths while in custody be systematically studied with common definitions in order to compare mortality causes and rates across countries. The book ends with a description of stress among workers in prison, which occurs as a result of the dual role of prison for rehabilitation and punishment.
Assessment: This book does a good job of describing the issues surrounding correctional healthcare. It covers a wide range of health issues commonly seen in prisons, and healthcare personnel, administrators, and legal professionals will find it quite useful.

Doody's Review Service

This book does a good job of describing the issues surrounding correctional healthcare. It covers a wide range of health issues commonly seen in prisons and healthcare personnel, administrators, and legal professionals will find it quite useful.” (Gary B. Kaniuk, Doody’s Book Reviews, June, 2017)

From the Publisher